Beneath The Surface
by CoolDiva
Summary: Kimberly experiences unexpected feelings when it seems that Jason and her roommate may have more than just a summer fling.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but the OCs- **whom I'll** **try** **to do my best with**- that will appear in this story.

**Author's Note**: Billy never went to Aquitar, Kimberly lives in Florida, Katherine never went to London, Aisha, Zack and Trini all returned to California a year ago.

Now, on with the start of my latest fic... .

* * *

**Beneath The Surface**

It was the third Saturday in June- a sunny morning in Florida- and Kimberly Hart was enjoying a peaceful sleep in her bed. But it didn't last long. The nineteen-year-old brunette's eyes flew open when a loud, clanging noise sounded suddenly. What in the... . After rubbing her eyes and yawning, she quickly turned to see a green-eyed, young woman with black hair standing by her bed- holding a bell. It was Lexie Ellis- her friend and roommate.

"Lex... have you gone nuts?" Kimberly asked before yawning again.

"Yep- it wasn't a very long trip for me, though," the other young woman said.

"Don't worry- I believe you. Do you have to work today?" Kimberly asked.

"No," Lexie said, sitting down on her friend's bed. "Sorry for waking you up in a way that makes you wanna strangle me with a scarlet-colored scarf and hide my body in a freezer. I'm just in a slaphappy mood right now for some reason."

"Been there," Kim said, sitting up and stretching. Then, she laughed. "Why a scarlet-colored scarf, though?"

"It was on this TV movie I watched last night. First thing that came to mind. See, this rich guy got a thrill out of meeting women, wining and dining them, then, killing them- sometimes, in really grotesque ways," Lexie said. She shrugged. "I would've changed the channel, but, the remote was on top of the TV and after my chaotic shift yesterday, my legs were just in _no_ mood. That's why I fell asleep on the couch."

Kimberly nodded in understanding, then, began casually looking around her room. She and Lexie'd been sharing this apartment for the last ten months. Yeah. The two of them had met during the training for the Pan-Global Games. After placing second in the Games, Kimberly'd chosen to just stay in Florida. As for work, she taught gymnastics. Lexie, however, had desired a little break from anything associated with gymnastics. She was a waitress at a cafe. Sure, it wasn't her dream job, but, it worked for the time being.

"So, your friend's gonna be here in six days, huh?" Lexie said. "I can't wait to meet the famous Jason."

Kim grinned as she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She'd invited her longtime friend to spend a couple weeks with her. Their other friends would be coming down, too- but, only for the Fourth of July weekend. They'd be at a hotel not far at all from where she lived while Jason would be camping out on her and Lexie's pull-out sofa. "You're really gonna like him, Lex. And my other friends. This is gonna sound a little corny, but, they're some of the top best people in the world."

"Well, I feel like I know them already," Lexie said, smiling. Then, she stood. "Now, up and at 'em, Hart. We've got places to go."

"We do?" Kim asked, frowning.

"Oh, yeah. We're going out for breakfast, then, shopping, and maybe we'll go to that movie that just hit the theatres. Are you onboard or do you wanna smack me one for planning your day?" Lexie asked.

"I'm onboard, but, can I just smack you one anyway?" Kim said to her roommate with a smirk.

"I'll add you to the list," Lexie said, nodding.

"Don't you have to be wacky somewhere else?" Kim said, grinning.

"Not till ten-thirty tonight. So, you're really onboard with taking on Florida with me today?" Lexie asked.

"Sure," Kim said.

"Cool. I think I'll go annoy Stuart while you get ready," Lexie said- referring to their uptight neighbor that seriously believed that everyone- excluding him- in the universe were complete idiots.

"Okay. Get in a little irritation for me, too," Kim said, laughing.

"Count on it," Lexie said with a mischievous smile, then, exited the room.

* * *

That evening, Kim and Lexie were walking away from the movie theatre- talking animatedly about the movie, their breakfast and shopping trip. They'd had an enjoyable, humorous day so far and felt pretty sure it would only get better- they were gonna get a little dinner, then, do some clubbing. Suddenly, Kim thought of something and grinned. 

"You know where we should go again soon? The spa," she said.

"That'd be great- especially if Sven still works there," Lexie said- referring to a gorgeous, Swedish, male masseuse. "He really knows how to work the tension out of ya."

"Like I'm really gonna believe that you're impressed by _only _his massage skills," Kimberly said, her eyes dancing.

"Hey, I'm human! It's a curse," Lexie said with a laugh.

"You know, that movie was pretty good. I-" Kimberly was saying.

"Kim! Lexie! Wait up!" a male voice said from somewhere behind them.

The two young women slowed to a stop and Lexie gave a now uneasy Kimberly a wary look. Kim swallowed hard, then, she and Lexie turned to face Derek Masters... the guy Kim'd broken up with Tommy Oliver for. The blonde-haired, brown-eyed, young man grinned when he reached the two friends. Kimberly smiled- but, it felt a little forced to her. She and Derek'd broken up five months ago and even though it'd been amicable- for the most part- she still felt kinda weird when she saw him, which wasn't much these days.

"Hey, ladies," he said.

"Hi, Derek," Lexie said.

"Hi," Kim said, acting as though she were talking to a casual acquaintence and not an ex-boyfriend.

The three of them stood in silence and Lexie cleared her throat a little after several tense moments. "Kim, I, uh, I'll be in the car."

"Okay," Kim said. '_Oh_, _sure. Leave me in the Awkward Pool_,' she added silently. But, she couldn't really blame her friend.

Lexie nodded, then, smiled at Derek. "Good seeing you again."

"You, too," he said.

Lexie gave Kim a quick, sympathetic glance, then, headed for her car. Kim stared after her friend for a few seconds, then, looked at her ex- who was now smiling at her.

"How've you been?" he asked.

"Fine. You?" she asked.

"I've been okay. So, are you and Lexie heading off somewhere or..." he said, lifting his eyebrows.

"Yeah, we are. We're gonna grab a bite to eat, then, go dancing," she said.

He nodded, then, scratched the back of his head. It was obvious as all get out to her that he wasn't really interested in her plans for the evening. He wanted something and she just needed to know what.

"Derek... it was nice seeing you again, but, I don't have a lot of time to hang around in the parking lot and I'm sure you don't, either, so... if you wanna tell me something, now's as good a time as any," she said.

"You're right. You always could read me like a book," he said with a light chuckle. She smiled at that. He cleared his throat. "Are you busy tomorrow afternoon?"

"No. What's up?" she asked... an odd sensation washing over her.

"I was hoping you'd have lunch with me at the place near that new flower shop. Feel free to say no, but, I really hope you don't because there's something I need to talk to you about," he said. She stared at him. "It's important, Kim, and I'd really like to discuss it with you as soon as possible. Get your opinion."

Kimberly bit her lower lip. Get her opinion. She was sure it was about them getting back together until he'd said that. Get her opinion. On what? '_Well_, _I guess I won't know unless I have_ _lunch with him_. _One meal won't hurt_.' Lunch in a public place was innocent enough. Still, a part of her was more than tempted to turn him down. But... she was curious. Besides, it wasn't like he was some maniac she'd met online. She'd had genuine, deep feelings for Derek- whom was a good guy.

"I'll meet you there. Just call and gimme a time," she said casually.

He smiled. "Okay. Thanks, Kim."

"Sure," she said with a small smile.

"Well, I better let you go and head out myself. It was really great seeing you," he said.

"You, too," she said. He gave her another smile, then, walked away. She turned and stared after him until he was out of sight. Different emotions were tumbling around and around in her. This day'd started off simple and normal. Now... . She turned back around slowly and began heading for her friend's car- feeling a little dazed.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, all. Here is the second installment of my latest chaptered fic: **BTS**. I guess my desire to write has woken up. LOL.

**By the way, no matter what happens in this story, I don't plan to have any criminally insane characters in it. I'm just gonna try to make them all as human as possible and I hope you all are able to see it. Besides, I've got enough psychos running around already. LOL.**

The other former rangers will be making appearances soon. I'm just trying to have Kim interact with Derek and Lexie a little more first.**  
**

Anyways, hope ya like.

* * *

"I just wish I could figure out what he wants," Kimberly told Lexie the next morning. The two girls were in their kitchen, having breakfast. 

"Yeah. From what you told me, he seemed kinda mysterious," her roommate said.

"And my curiosity level is sky high. He wants my opinion, but, on what?" Kimberly wondered aloud. She'd barely gotten any sleep last night- due to the fact that she'd been thinking about Derek and why he wanted to meet with her for lunch. She was prepared for the weirdness she'd definitely feel today. After all, it'd been awhile since she had been out with her ex.

"Well, you'll be finding out in a few hours," Lexie said.

"It might as well be a few _years_, Lex. Until noon, I'm gonna be driving myself nuts wondering. Let's talk about something else. You doing anything this afternoon?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah. I'm gonna be having lunch with my mom," Lexie said, rolling her eyes. "She guilted me into it a few days ago when she "visited" me at work. Believe me, I'd take your problem in a heartbeat."

Kimberly laughed. Lexie had a complex relationship with her mother- whom the girl considered overbearing with a tendency to be critical. "Oh, come on. You know your mom really isn't _that_ bad."

"I'll let that slide 'cause ya got a nice face, Hart," Lexie said with a smirk, then, she sighed. "Anyhow, she said the usual- that she wants to spend time with me. Which is, of course, code for she wants to nose into my personal life and tell me how to live it. She doesn't really do this with either of my sisters. Why? Because one of 'em is a golden child that does pretty much everything that's expected of her and the other knows how to avoid Mom."

"I bet your family life was interesting as all get out," Kimberly said, grinning.

"True. Boredom was rarely a problem," Lexie said with a laugh.

* * *

A few hours later, Kimberly was sitting at a table in the cafe she'd agreed to meet Derek at- sipping her lemonade. Derek was running a little late- which was always a little weird since he could win at least second place in a punctuality contest- but, she didn't really mind because a part of her was in no big rush to see him. She couldn't really say why that was, though. Maybe because she was sort of dreading whatever he had to say. 

'_I should really just chill out. I don't wanna be jumping to any crazy conclusions_ _or anything_,' she thought as she looked around. Anyhow, a huger part of her was curious as to what he wanted to talk about.

"Hey," a male voice said behind her. "Sorry I'm late."

She looked over her shoulder, prepared to tell Derek hello. But the words died in her throat when she saw that he was holding a bouquet of flowers. Huh? He smiled tentatively as he extended his arm towards her.

"I got these from that flower shop. Here ya go," he said.

Kimberly just stared at them, her mouth ajar. Flowers. He'd bought her flowers. Flowers. Her stomach fluttered a little. What in the world... .

"What's wrong? You don't like them?" he asked, frowning.

She blinked a couple times and looked at him. "Huh? Oh, no, that's not it. No. They're gorgeous, it's just, well... why, Derek?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but, laughed instead- feeling a little embarrassed. "Well, to tell the truth, Kim... I'm not really sure," he said honestly. "But, will you take 'em anyway?"

She looked at the flowers for a few seconds, then, took them. "Thanks. They really are beautiful."

"No problem," he said as he walked over to the chair across from her.

She smiled as she placed the flowers on the table. "Remember when you saw me sick for the first time? You gave me some really pretty flowers, then, too."

He smiled as well and nodded. "Yeah. And I spent the whole day _attempting_ to nurse you back to health. I think we would've had better luck with a magic wand."

She laughed. "Hey, don't knock yourself now. Even though I felt like somebody'd run over me a million times, I was so glad you were there. You made me forget I was sick with all those crazy stories about you and your brothers and those imitations you did."

"I was glad you were laughing because I thought you'd kick me out after I started the Daffy Duck thing," he said with a laugh.

"No, it was cute. Goofy, but, cute," she said with a smile. He returned the smile and the waitress came over. After she'd collected the orders and headed off, Kimberly refocused on her ex. "We really did have some great times- fantastic times."

"No argument from this corner," he said. The former couple fell into silence then. Derek cleared his throat after a while and spoke up once again. "I guess we should probably get down to why I asked you to have lunch with me. I'm more than a little nervous now, but... I need to get it out. The best way is just to come right out and say it."

"So, go ahead," she urged, even though her heart rate had picked up.

He took a deep breath. "Kim, I... I lied. Well, sort of. I _do_ need to know how you feel about what I'm about to say."

"What is it?" she asked- a little warily.

"I've been thinking about us a lot lately and I'd really love to give it all another try," he said seriously.

Kimberly just looked at him. Okay. She was surprised and yet, somehow, she wasn't. She was also kind of relieved but annoyed. "Derek," she said, rolling her eyes. "You had me thinking you were gonna talk to me about something life-threatening!"

His face flushed a little. He was clearly embarrassed. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, Kimberly. It was stupid, but- see, I thought you wouldn't agree to meet me here if I told you the real reason. I mean, a part of me was a little scared you'd flat out reject me."

She sighed, unsure of what to say. In a way, she understood why he'd made everything sound urgent in order to get her here. He'd been nervous and uncertain. The waitress returned with their orders, then, headed off.

"So, um... how _do_ you feel about it?" he asked, looking as though he were half-afraid of the answer.

Kimberly looked down at her food, a dozen thoughts now running through her head. She now knew for sure what he wanted and had no idea what to tell him. Getting back together. She wasn't certain at this very moment how she felt about that. It wasn't like Derek wasn't worth it. He was good-looking, funny, caring, understanding, fun to be with. But, _something_ had changed in their relationship and whatever it'd been... it'd brought them to an end.

"Wait a second. I can't believe I was dumb enough not to ask... are you, are you seeing someone else now?" he asked.

She looked up. "No. No, I'm flying solo these days." He nodded and she went on. "Derek, I don't know what to say. This is kind of a bombshell. It's... ."

"I know. It's not exactly like asking someone to borrow their shoes," he said with a slight laugh. She smiled. "But, Kim, I'm just gonna lay it all out on the table here- not literally," he said- causing her to chuckle. "For awhile, I was totally sure that I'd moved past everything. Then... I went from being sure to doubtful and I started pretending that I was still sure. But, after a while, I just couldn't do it anymore. I think that you and I... well, I don't think we're done."

"Maybe you just don't _wanna_ think we're done?" she said, lifting her eyebrows.

"That's what I thought at first, but... no. No. I wanna start over. I'm still in love with you. Probably more now than ever," he said. "But if _you're_ over it, I'll accept that and never bring this up again. It'll be hard to hear, but, I respect you too much to try and push you into something you really don't wanna be in."

Kimberly's heart warmed a little. The guy sitting across from her was genuine- there wasn't a doubt in her mind or soul. Derek Masters wasn't a jerk. This was a guy she'd fallen hard for. The person whom'd unintentionally made her want to end things with a guy she'd thought she'd be in love with for the rest of her life. For a chance to be with him. And Derek really was something. After she'd sent that awful letter, he'd given her time and space and had continued to be her friend- in spite of the mutual attraction. He hadn't tried to get things truly going right away.

"You're amazing. You are. That's why it should be so easy to give you the answer you wanna hear, but... I need a little time, Derek. I still need to do some thinking. I can't really explain why, I just... I don't know. I'm sorry," she said with a sigh.

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't be. Like you said, it's kind of a bombshell. Take all the time you need. No pressure and you know I mean that."

"I do," she said with a soft smile.

"Good. Now, I see no reason for us not to have our lunch. Awkward or not, we've still gotta eat," he said in an amused tone- causing her to laugh.

* * *

**End Notes**: 

That's the end for now. I wanna try and make Derek as **human and normal **as possible- partly because in a lotta Kim's "other guy" fics... the dude is **usually an abusive, crazy jackass**. I figure by making him decent, it makes the drama more **exciting and realistic.** And with Jason coming in... well, let's just say Kim's gonna be having **genuine, complicated** emotions. It's all kinda tricky, but, I think I can pull it off.

Looks like I highlighted all adjectives- and a noun. LMAO.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thanks, as always, to all readers and reviewers.**_

**I started off with some KaTo fluffiness for ya, Zeo.**_**  
**_

_**On we go...**_

* * *

**(Angel Grove)**

It was now Wednesday evening and Tommy Oliver was sitting in the apartment he'd shared with Adam Park for the last ten months- eating Chinese takeout with Katherine Hillard. The young couple had met up at the apartment after leaving their respective jobs- Tommy worked at a dojo with Adam while Katherine taught ballet.

"I've been meaning to ask... how's the apartment search going?" Tommy asked.

"Oh, it's okay," Katherine replied. "We've narrowed it down to three." She and Tanya Sloan- whom worked at a radio station- were planning to be roommates. "They're all affordable, but, it's more than a little hard to choose."

"That nice, huh?" he said with a smile.

"Very," she said, smiling as well. "It's kind of funny because you'd think that at least one would be easily eliminated from the choices, but, they're all perfect."

"Are they all in the same building?" he asked.

"Two of them are," she replied.

"And you're both completely sure that you can't decide which one you like best?" he asked, lifting his eyebrows. "I mean, I know there's gotta be _something_ one apartment has that the others don't. Like something all... girly."

Katherine laughed. "Girly? You mean wallpaper with flowers and teddy bears on it? Or maybe something girls would love... like a sculpture of Brad Pitt in each room."

"I'm going with the wallpaper thing," he said with a grin.

"Why not Brad?" she teased.

"I'd treat every one of those sculptures like they're cogs," he said- causing her to laugh.

"A jealous Tommy is an adorable Tommy," she quipped.

"Adorable? I really need to get a different hairstyle," he said. She laughed once again and he smiled. "This is pretty great, you know. Just you and me, sitting here like this."

"I know," she said softly.

After a few minutes, Tommy sat his container on the table. "I'm not all that hungry anymore."

"Neither am I," she said, sitting hers down as well.

Tommy pulled her closer to him and intertwined his fingers with hers. "Maybe you should take me to see the apartments. I may be able to help you and Tanya choose."

"Or you wanna make sure there aren't any Brad sculptures around," she said, unable to resist.

"That's just a bonus," he said- causing her to chuckle. He smiled as he looked into her clear, warm eyes. "I've told you this before, but, I'm so glad I know you, Kat. I am. I just love you... with all my heart."

A warmth filled her soul. "I love you, too, Tommy," she said before he softly pressed his lips to hers. She smiled at him after the sweet kiss ended. "Do you wanna go for a walk on the beach a little later?"

"Sure," he replied as he reached up to stroke her her hair. "Whatever you want."

"I just wanna be with you," she said.

"And the goes both ways. I just wanna be with you. Whenever, wherever," he said before leaning in for another kiss.

* * *

"You know, Rocko, we ordered the pizza for _all_ of us," Aisha Campbell said with a smirk a couple minutes later. 

Rocky DeSantos gave his longtime friend a "wounded puppy" look. "Why do you have to hurt, Sha?" he said. Aisha, Trini Kwan and Zack Taylor laughed. Rocky and Zack- whom'd been sharing an apartment for three months- had invited the two former yellow rangers over to just chill and hang out. As far as employment went, Rocky was assistant manager at a coffeehouse and Zack worked at a music store while Trini worked at a bookstore and Aisha worked at a pet shop.

"It's too bad Aisha and I aren't all moved in yet," Trini said as she took in the state of the living room. She and Aisha had gotten a place together two weeks earlier.

"Tell me about it. This place looks like a nightmare," Aisha said.

"These two belong together," Trini told her.

"Born for each other," Aisha said with a grin.

Rocky decided to play along by giving Zack a dreamy look. "I always knew it'd be you."

"I've never been happier," Zack said in a falsetto- which made the girls crack up with laughter. The original black ranger flashed his winning smile. "Cut us a break, ladies. We're men."

"Manly men," Rocky said, nodding. "And I'm not the only reason we're so low on pizza already, Aisha. I seem to recall Zachary over there shoving it in just as much as I was."

"Hey!" Zack exclaimed.

"Just stating a fact, bro," Rocky said with a laugh, then, cleared his throat. "Okay, it's movie time. What are we watching? No cutesy, mushy stuff, though."

"Well, before we watch _anything_, I'm gonna head to the kitchen for a refill," Aisha said as she grabbed her glass and sprang to her feet. "I'll get the popcorn going, too."

"I'll help you," Zack said, standing as well. He flashed another smile.

Rocky smirked and Trini rolled her eyes- seeing as how it was painfully obvious that Aisha didn't need any sort of assistance with either task. Zack and Aisha had had this _thing_ going on for the last few weeks- constant smiling, a lot of one on one conversations, a few inside jokes. Aisha grinned at Zack and motioned for him to follow her to the kitchen. After they disappeared from sight, Trini gave Rocky an angelic smile.

"Don't do that. Makes me nervous," he said.

"Meaning that I'm doing it right," Trini told him sweetly. "Give me a reason I _shouldn't_ make you pay for calling me mushy and cutesy, Rockford."

"Because I'm... as lovable as a puppy?" he offered.

"I'll accept that," she said- causing him to laugh. "To tell the truth, I'd really love to see a movie with an action/comedy combo."

Rocky leaned back in his chair and grinned. "Finally, a girl that speaks my language. So, tell me something, Trini. Do you ever miss Switzerland?"

Trini tucked her legs underneath her. "Sometimes. But I'll never regret choosing to move back to Angel Grove. It's home. Dorothy was right."

"There really is no place like home," Rocky said, smiling.

"Right," she said, smiling as well. "I'm always gonna be grateful I got to go to Switzerland, though. I learned a lot when I was there."

"That's great," he said, nodding. "Maybe I should go there someday."

"I think you'd really like it," she said. Suddenly, laughter from the kitchen sounded and Trini and Rocky looked in its the direction. Then, they looked at each other and laughed themselves.

"Could they be any more obvious?" Rocky said, shaking his head.

"Not even if they wore matching outfits," Trini said- causing him to laugh once again.

* * *

"Well, do you know what you want- deep down?" Jason Scott asked Kimberly nearly an hour later. She'd called him ten minutes earlier and they were talking about Derek. 

"Not really," Kimberly replied with a sigh. "Every time I make a choice, I get to wondering if it's the right one! I don't wanna leave him hanging forever."

Jason laughed as he leaned back against his headboard. "Kim, it's only been a few days since he dropped the bomb."

"I know, but, a part of me just feels like it might take longer than he can stand," she said seriously. "Let's talk about something else. I haven't spoken with any of you guys in days."

"Well, everything's been pretty much same ol', same ol'. I'm thinking about working at this new dojo in Stone Canyon when I leave Florida. Oh, and getting an apartment there," Jason said. He had quit his job at a sporting goods store a few weeks ago and he was staying with his parents for the time being.

"Jase, that's great!" Kimberly said.

"Yeah," he agreed. He couldn't help smiling at her excitement. He could just see the smile on her face right now. Her eyes all lit up.

"You know, you'll be the only one of us with his own place," she said.

"That's me- the lone ranger," he quipped.

She laughed. "I'm psyched you're gonna be here in, well, barely two days. And the guys'll be here a week later. I know I saw you guys last Christmas, but, that feels like ages ago."

"True story," he said, nodding. It'd been a great holiday visit. No one would've ever guessed Kimberly and Derek- whom were still together at the time- had been having any kind of problems. Kimberly hadn't mentioned it. She'd just focused on enjoying her time with her loved ones and helping Jason keep his mind off of Emily- whom'd he'd ended things with a few weeks before. Actually, it'd been pretty mutual. '_Man_. _It doesn't even really seem like it's been six months since Emily and I broke up_.'

"I guess I'd better let you go. Not only do I have to work tomorrow, but, there_ is_ a three-hour difference," Kimberly said.

"Meaning it's after ten there," he said.

"Yeah," she said. "I can't wait to see you."

"Right back at ya, Pinky," he said with a smile.

"I'm gonna head straight to bed the second I hang up. I love you, Jase," she said.

"I love you, too, Kimberly," he said, then, they exchanged goodbyes and ended the call.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey, y'all. Back with another update for the only in-progress story I have right now.**_

**_Thanks for the continued support. Much love, much appreciation._**

_**And now, we get the ball rolling...**_

* * *

It was Friday afternoon and Kimberly and Jason were in her car, heading away from the airport. She was on her lunch break and had come to pick him up. He'd told her that he'd have been just fine with a cab, but, Kimberly wasn't having it. Anyhow, the excited, original pink ranger could not stop grinning.

"I can't wait 'til you meet Lexie. You guys'll definitely click," Kimberly said, nodding.

"Looking forward to meeting her," Jason said.

"That works both ways. I haven't really shut up about you, so, of course, she's more than ready to meet you," Kimberly said.

"So you'll shut up once and for all," Jason said in an amused tone. He laughed when she punched him in the arm.

"Always be nice to the one behind the wheel, Rex. Otherwise, they get all pterodactyl on ya," she said.

"Why are you threatening me, Pinky?" Jason said, mock hurt.

"To relax," she said casually.

"You're a sick woman," he said.

"The voices tell me that, at least, once a day," she said, then, her eyes lit up. "You up for going out to dinner tonight? My treat."

"Sure. But you don't have to buy my-" he began.

"Oh, shut up, Jason," Kimberly said with a groan. "I know I don't have to, but, I'm gonna. Smile and agree or die by a mall-obsessor's little hand."

"Florida's made you scary, you know. All right, Firebird. Your treat," he said.

"And Lex should come, too- if that's cool with you," she said.

"Sure, it is," he said.

"Great," Kimberly said happily.

"Not to ruin your good mood, but, have you talked to Derek?" he asked.

"He called last night and invited me out for breakfast tomorrow," she said, her voice quiet.

"What'd ya tell him?" Jason asked.

"I told him that I already had breakfast plans with my visiting friend," she said. Then, she paused. "Maybe I should ask if he wants to join us. You guys'll get to meet and- truthfully- I'll be more comfortable with you there."

"Not a bad idea," Jason said.

"So I should invite him," she said.

"If that's what you really wanna do," he said.

She nodded slowly. What she really wanted to do... that was a laugh and a half. '_I hope I don't go crazy trying to make this decision about Derek and me. But, if I do, I'm requesting a pink padded cell_,' she thought. Joking and making light of things actually kind of helped, in its own way. It wouldn't solve any problems, but, it still helped somehow.

* * *

"This restaurant works for me. Great food, great service," Jason told Kimberly and Lexie that evening.

"Oh, for sure," Lexie agreed. "I fell crazy in love the first time I came here. I even apologized to my former favorite restaurant." Her dinner companions laughed.

"So, you grew up here in Florida, huh?" Jason said.

"Yeah. But, I sometimes used to wish I'd lived in Italy my whole life," Lexie replied.

"I used to wish I lived on the East Coast during wintertime- so did Jason, Billy, Trini and Zack," Kimberly said. "Mmm. This food really is great. It tastes better every time I come here."

"Kim, we should introduce him to Stuart. It's a must. Jason, you'll get a good laugh," Lexie said as she thought of Kimberly's and her odd, uptight neighbor. "I don't think the guy was born with smiling muscles."

"He hates fun and loves to ruin everyone else's," Kimberly said with a laugh. "He's only twenty, but, he can be so cranky."

Jason laughed. "Sounds like a real walk in the park."

"He's a blast," Lexie said. "Last week, he flipped_ out_ on me in the laundry room for using his favorite washing machine. Then, he stormed out of there- mumbling about how life would be just fine if it weren't for people."

"All over a washing machine?" Jason said, his eyes filled with amusement and disbelief.

"I kid ya not," Lexie said with a short laugh. "And he goes cheese and crackers on you if you call him Stu. His words: 'Nicknames are for childish half-wits'."

"I bet this guy has a zillion friends," Jason said, shaking his head.

Kimberly watched as Jason and Lexie talked and laughed with each other and began grinning to herself. Those familiar wheels began turning in her brain. That good old matchmaking tingle started to work its way up her spine. '_Okay, slam on the brakes, Hart. Jason's only gonna be here two weeks_,' she reminded herself.

* * *

"I feel so nauseous," Kimberly said on Saturday morning.

"It's gonna be fine, Kim," Jason reassured her.

They had arrived at the cafe just several minutes earlier and were waiting for Derek to show up. Kimberly's stomach had been going insane ever since she'd woken up. She was trying hard to relax- oh, how she wanted to- but, it wasn't happening. Seeing Derek and knowing he was waiting for an answer... . She shivered, then, cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter.

"Are you gonna be okay meeting him, Jase? I know Tommy and I have been over a long time, but-" she was saying.

"It's not gonna be a problem, Pinky. There might be a little weirdness at first, but, it'll pass just like that. Because you're right- you and Tommy've been over for a long time," he said. He was glad he was getting to meet Derek. The guy had been an important part of Kimberly's life once and there was a chance he would be again.

"If I knew he wasn't coming, if it were just you and me here for breakfast, I'd be cooler than cool," she said, sighing.

"I hear ya. But, at least he's not pressuring you," he said.

"I know. I just wish I could make a choice right away," she said. A part of her couldn't help wishing that Derek wasn't such a nice guy. "Here he comes now." She took a deep breath, then, managed to smile when her ex-boyfriend reached the table. "Hi, Derek."

"Hey," he said.

"This is my friend Jason. Jason, this is Derek, of course," Kimberly said, ignoring the twisting of her stomach.

Derek smiled and stuck his hand out. "Nice to finally meet you, man."

Jason smiled and shook the guy's hand. "You, too."

"Well, have a seat," Kimberly said, her voice sounding overly cheerful for some reason. Jason threw an amused look her way and she swiftly kicked him under the table. He smirked at her as Derek sat down next to him. Kimberly just knew he'd chosen not to sit next to her for her own sake. Her nervousness began fading.

A short while later, they were all eating, talking and laughing. Kimberly was feeling almost totally at ease. '_I knew things would be better with Jase around_,' she thought.

* * *

"I'm glad you like Derek and Lexie," Kimberly said to Jason as the two of them walked side by side along the beach that night. After breakfast, the two of them had spent the day hanging out, reminiscing and just enjoying each other.

"Yeah. Derek's a good guy and Lexie is really cool. I see why you like them," Jason said with a smile.

"I've had such a great life here in Florida. It was hard to adjust in the beginning, but, people like Derek and Lexie made it easier," Kimberly said. "Nothing could make me stop missing the rest of you, though. I'm so, so, so glad you're here, Rex." She looped her arm through his.

"It's great to be here, Firebird. And I'm glad you've got it good down here," he said.

"Thanks. Hey, you're in for a treat tomorrow," she said.

"Really? Why?" he asked.

"Because Lexie and I make this really great brunch at least once a month. You'll love it," she said, smiling.

"Can't wait," he said, returning the smile. Her smile had always been comforting as well as pretty. It was the type of smile that could make even the most depressed people feel that all was right in the world. "By the way, my mom wanted me to tell you that you'd better visit again soon or she'll mail a butt-kicking to you."

She laughed. "I love that woman." Then, she put her arm around his waist, he slipped his arm around her shoulders and they walked on with a strong feeling of contentment.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

_**I felt the urge to update this story again.**_

_**Thanks, as always, for the outstanding support.**_

* * *

"Hey, Starlight," Lexie said to Jason after he stepped into the kitchen's doorway on Monday morning.

"Hey, Lexie," he said before yawning. "Wait- did you just say Starlight?"

"Yeah. A lotta people say "morning, sunshine" but, conventional can be so boring sometimes," she said, resuming the task of cooking breakfast. "Did ya sleep okay?"

"Yeah. That sofa bed is almost as comfortable as my actual bed," he said. "Kim left for work already, huh?"

"Yep. About two minutes ago. Just you and me. It's great I don't have to work til later- that way, I'll have time to show you around more. So, whenever Kim and I are unavailable at the same time, you won't be bored," she said as she flipped the pancakes. "By the way, you pull off the morning look better than most."

He laughed. "You don't have to try and get on my good side, Lexie. I like ya already," he teased- causing her to laugh. "Need any help?"

"No, thanks. Go on and have a seat," she said.

He pulled a chair out and sat. "I still can't believe you and Kim were so dead-on about that Stuart guy."

"He's great entertainment. Sometimes, I annoy him on purpose. I'm sorry, but, it's just way too much fun watching his face turn red. I may be awful for that, but, hey, he makes it too easy," Lexie said.

"He definitely seems to," Jason said.

"You know, Jason, it's been really great having you here so far. Kim was totally right about you," Lexie said.

"Thanks. She was right about you, too," Jason said. "And thanks for taking on the task of hanging out with me today."

"It's not a task, it's a pleasure. I love to keep people company," she said seriously.

Jason smiled at that. He definitely understood how Kimberly and Lexie had become friends- and roommates.

"All right," Lexie said. "Breakfast is officially done."

Minutes later, the two of them were sitting at the table- eating and talking about their childhoods. The conversation ended up easily moving from topic to topic. After they'd finished breakfast and had become more knowledgeable about one another, Jason smiled at her.

"Great breakfast," he said.

"Thank you," she said, smiling as well. "Now, I've gotta figure out what I'm gonna wear."

"Speaking of clothes, I was kinda relieved when Kim told me that you liked shopping, but, wasn't a nut about it. The idea of spending a couple weeks with _two_ mall fanatics scared me a little," he said.

She laughed. "Yeah. My sister is the big mall lover in our family. I always ask both her and Kim how they stand it whenever there's a sale. Gotta admire 'em. I'd literally pull every strand of my hair out."

"I can understand that," Jason said with a chuckle.

"I bet you can," she said with a broad grin. "I'm gonna shower now."

* * *

"You guys have fun today?" Kimberly asked her friend that evening. Lexie'd left for work already.

"Yeah. It was cool," Jason replied, leaning back on the sofa.

"Great. Well, it's gonna be dinnertime soon. You wanna get takeout or..." Kimberly said, her eyebrows raised.

"Anything you want is fine with me, Pinky," he said.

"Takeout it is, then," she said. "Wanna play Checkers or something?"

"Sure. I'm in the humiliating mood," he said with a teasing smile.

"Dream on, Rex," she said with a smirk, then, stood to get the board game. "I'm gonna mop the floor with ya."

"Confidence. I like that in a woman," he said as he moved to sit on the floor in front of the coffee table.

"So, I'm a woman to you now. The "little sister with girl cooties" days are behind you?" she said, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Yeah, but, don't tell anybody. Got an image to maintain here," he said, mock serious.

"Oh, but, of course," Kimberly said in the same tone. "It's kinda weird when you think about it, though."

"What's that?" Jason asked as she began setting up the game.

"We've always been labeled as brother and sister. I mean, I know we've always been close, but, have _you_ always felt a family type of connection?" she asked.

"Well... not really," he confessed. "I know I've played the sibling role a lot over the years, but, for the most part, I've always seen us as just really good friends. How about you?"

"The same. It's just that we were always kinda expected to, ya know, _behave_ like siblings," she said, shaking her head.

"True," he agreed.

"Nobody ever seemed to really expect you and Trini to behave like brother and sister," she said.

"I'm thinking that that's because you've always been seen as the little sister of the group for some reason," Jason said as they began the game.

"Could it be the short princess thing?" Kimberly joked.

"Could be," he said with a laugh.

* * *

"TV movies are the worst sometimes," Lexie said on that early Thursday evening, shaking her head. She and Jason were sitting on the sofa. She had the day off and Kimberly, of course, was working, but, would be home soon. "They can be so crazy and ridiculous, but, I'm addicted to them anyway. How sick is that?"

"The scariest part is that this is _Lifetime_ and I'm actually sitting here watching it with you," Jason said.

"Your secret's safe with me, big man," she said, her eyes never leaving the television.

"Thanks," he said dryly.

"Ha! I told ya she'd turn out to be a liar," Lexie said.

"You sure you haven't seen this before?" he asked with a laugh. Lexie had figured out pretty much the whole movie so far.

"Positive. The thing is, these type of movies are always predictable. Sixteen-year-old, popular witch with a capital B wants "revenge" on the loner, rebel, "he's so cool" guy that actually had the audacity to reject her," she said- causing Jason to laugh again.

After the movie had ended, Lexie sighed. "What should we do now? More _Lifetime_?"

"Only if you promise to kill me first," he said.

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "We could play Monopoly. Scratch that. I'm not really in the mood."

"I was gonna say," he said, nodding.

"You want another sandwich?" she asked.

"Nah, but, thanks," he said.

"Sure. Wanna have a pillow fight?" she asked casually. She was suddenly in a playful mood.

"Huh?" he said.

She responded by grabbing a pillow off the sofa and bopping him with it. "Fun, yes?" she said innocently.

"Yeah, it's a huge thrill," he said, bopping her with a pillow. "That was even more thrilling."

"But this is a bigger thrill," she said before hitting him again. Her eyes were dancing and he smirked.

"Yeah, but, if you want_ real _excitement..." he said before bopping her again. Within moments, they were having an honest-to-goodness pillow fight. Sure, it was kind of wacky, but, they didn't care. It was mindless, silly fun. Lexie pinned him down a few minutes later and he laughed. "What are you doing?"

"Agree to give up now and I'll let you go," she joked, her face flushed.

"You're that afraid of losing, huh?" he quipped.

"I can take you," she said, mock indignation.

"Then, why do ya want me to throw in the towel?" he said, grinning.

"Because I don't wanna hurt your ego?" she said, grinning also.

"Nice try, lady," he said, laughing again. "You do know that I can easily break outta this hold, right?"

"Yet you lie still. Methinks you're enjoying it," she said with a flirtatious wink.

"Maybe," he said, giving her a wink as well.

The two of them smiled at each other, then, the smiles began slowly fading as they continued to stare at one another. Both could feel it coming. Simply caught in the now heated moment. She lowered her head until her lips were on his. The door to the apartment opened a few seconds later... .

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

**_Well, people, here I am with the next installment of BTS. Hoping to successfully break through the block.  
_**

_**Thanks, as always, for the amazing support. **_

_**Zeopurple- my online sis- thanks for lighting a fire under me again.**_

* * *

Kimberly sighed as she stepped into her apartment. As much as she loved what she did, she was so glad to be home. The brunette closed and locked the door, then, started to head forward until the sight before her stopped her cold. Her jaw dropped as she watched her roommate and childhood friend... make out. So had not been expecting_ this_. Wow. It occurred to Kimberly several moments later that she should probably make her presence known. She blinked a couple times, then, cleared her throat.

Sure enough, the twosome on the sofa ended the kissing and began sitting up. Their faces were kind of red. Lexie tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and Jason cleared his throat. Kimberly- whom felt a slight tug at her heart- smiled faintly.

"Didn't mean to interrupt," she said with a little laugh.

"No. No, you weren't- we were just- you know what? I'm gonna- bathroom. Excuse me," Lexie said, then, hopped up and almost hurried from the room. She usually didn't fluster easily... .

Jason ran his hand over his hair when Kimberly's focus moved to him. "How was work?" he asked in as casual a tone as he could. He was feeling a little like a kid whom had been caught eating cookies before dinner.

"It was fine. Happy to be home, though," she said.

He nodded, then, looked away.

'_Okay, why am I being weird? It's not like I've never seen kissing before. Besides, I'm the one who was thinking that they should hook up. Maybe I'm feeling like this because I wasn't expecting to see it when I got in. Yeah. That's gotta be it_,' Kimberly thought. She shook her head- as though attempting to shake away any silly thoughts- then, grinned and headed over to her friend. "I see _your_ day was pretty interesting, Rex," she said as she sat next to him.

He laughed, feeling almost relieved for some reason. "That's definitely the right word for it."

Lexie stepped into the doorway a few seconds later- a sort of sheepish smile on her face. "Are we still in a "let's all die of embarrassment" place or is it safe to come back in?"

Kimberly smiled. "It's safe, loon."

Lexie smirked and walked into the room. "I've told you a million times, Hart. Don't knock loons. Without us, there'd be no entertainment and with no entertainment, what would you do with your life?" Jason and Kimberly laughed and she grinned. "So your other friends are gonna be in tomorrow, huh?" she said as she plopped down into a chair.

"Yeah. It's gonna be fantastic," Kimberly said.

"So it takes _more_ than me being here to make things fantastic?" Jason said, mock hurt. Kimberly rolled her eyes and Lexie snickered.

Kimberly leaned towards Jason. "You're spectacular, Jason. Your very presence is just magnificent. Simply marvelous. Nothing else comes close. How's that?" she said, amused.

"Much better," he said, nodding.

"Well, I have to keep ya smiling," she joked.

"Yes, you do," he said, keeping a straight face.

"Because you're the best," she quipped.

"Yes, I am," he said, mock arrogance.

"You're conceited," she said, her eyes dancing.

"Yes, you are," he said intentionally. He and Lexie laughed when Kimberly punched him in the arm.

* * *

"So, what's up with you and Zack?" Kimberly asked Aisha on Saturday night. The other ex-rangers had arrived the night before and they- along with others- were currently on the beach, having a Fourth of July celebration. Kimberly and Aisha were standing near the water's edge. "Are you guys close to being something more?" the former pink ranger asked with a grin.

Aisha grinned as well. "Probably. Zack is a really great guy."

"Always have been," Kimberly said.

"He's cute, he's sweet, he makes me laugh and I love talking to him," Aisha said.

"Then, what in the world are you two waiting for?" Kimberly asked with a laugh.

Aisha laughed as well. "Your guess is as good as mine, girl. By the way, I can definitely see why you're all torn up about about Derek. Besides being a cutie, he's really nice."

"Yeah," Kimberly agreed with a sigh, then, looked over her shoulder. Derek was standing several feet away, laughing at things Rocky and Trini were saying. Kimberly's eyes shifted to a couple located a few feet away from them. Tommy and Katherine. They were sitting and holding hands. Laughing and talking. They looked very happy and it made Kimberly smile. She honestly felt they made a good couple. Any sort of awkwardness she'd had at thought of Tommy and another girl had long since passed, of course.

Just then, Zack walked up and flashed a smile at Aisha- whom easily smiled back. "Mind if I borrow this young lady for a minute, Kimmie?"

"Why can't you borrow _me_? Don't you love me anymore?" Kimberly said, pretending to whine.

"Hey, a dude gets bored, ya know. Gotta try something new. Don't hate me, hate the rules," he said with a wink. Kimberly smirked and Aisha laughed. Then, Zack and Aisha headed off, speaking in hushed voices.

Kimberly smiled as she watched her friends go. '_They're gonna be such a cute couple and they'd better name their first daughter after me_.' She laughed silently at that thought, then, turned to stare out at the water. '_I love Fourth of July. But, then, it's kinda hard to find a person that doesn't_.' Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to see Tommy.

"Hey," he said with a smile.

"Hey," she said. "Having a good time? Oh, and do you guys like the hotel you're in?"

"Yeah. I am and we do," Tommy said. "I just came over because I haven't really had a chance to talk to you since we all got in."

"Well, I'm all ears," she said with a smile.

"I know I've said it plenty, but, I'm glad you've been so happy here in Florida. Lexie seems like a great friend," he said.

"She is," Kimberly said.

"Derek seems to be a decent guy. But, in spite of everything, I always figured he would be. If he was a jerk, you wouldn't have given him the time of day," Tommy said with a laugh.

She chuckled. "True. Even though you and I are past all the hurt and uneasiness, a small part of me was still kind of nervous about you and Derek meeting."

"Hey, that's just being human, Kim," he said.

"You're right," she said, then, grinned. "Tommy, it's just _great _to see you so happy."

"You can thank Kat for that," he said. "She's amazing."

"I like seeing you two so lovey-dovey. It's cute. So, if you screw it up, Oliver, I'm coming for ya" Kimberly said, giving him a playful punch.

He laughed. "Don't worry. I know better than to tick off any pinks. Or yellows."

She shook her head and laughed.

* * *

"Fourth of July is my second favorite holiday, ya know," Lexie said to Jason a couple minutes later. They were walking along the beach, side by side. "When I was younger, I used to go sorta overboard celebrating it. Drove my family crazy."

"Oh, yeah? What'd you do?" Jason asked with a smile.

"Every year for four years, I'd wake up early in the morning and start howling "You're A Grand Old Flag" at the top of my lungs. My sister always threatened to sell me to the creepy family next door," she said- causing Jason to laugh. "Then, I'd put on this hideous "patriotic" costume I made- which I'd wear til bedtime- and march pretty much wherever my family and I were. Humming the song. Oh, and I always begged my mother to make cookies in the shape of flags- weeks before the actual holiday. Told her that the Fourth of July Monster would sneak in while we were sleeping and turn us all into Roman candles if she didn't. She almost always caved so I'd shut up."

Jason laughed again. "Wow. Love isn't a strong enough word. You were nuts about this holiday."

"I was insane," she said. "By the way, I really like your and Kim's friends. That Rocky can really put away hot dogs. He's gotta have an extra stomach."

"With Rocky, that's a huge possibility," Jason said with a chuckle.

The two of them ended up sort of far away from everyone else a few minutes later. Lexie smiled at him.

"You look nice in the moonlight," she said softly.

"Aren't I supposed to say something like that?" he joked.

"Sexist," she teased. Then, she focused on the water.

Jason began remembering all over again how her lips had felt against his... how he definitely wouldn't mind feeling them again. He smiled when she slipped her hand into his and squeezed gently.

* * *

Kimberly was in her bed a few hours later, grumbling to herself and punching her pillow. She could _not _go to sleep! '_Well, I gotta keep trying_.' She flipped her pillow over, lay down and closed her eyes. A groan of irritation escaped her lips a couple minutes later. She opened her eyes, sat up and swung her legs out of the bed.

'_I'll just get some warm milk- even though it almost never works for me_,' she thought as she stood and headed for the door. She exited the room and sighed as she stepped out into the hall. '_It really was a blast at the beach. Having everyone here is just... wait_.' Kimberly stopped short when she stepped into the doorway that led to the living room. She bit her lower lip. Jason and Lexie were on the sofa... making out again.

An odd sensation filled Kimberly and she rolled her eyes. Then, she turned and almost stalked back to her bedroom. '_Looks like the couch is becoming pretty popular_,' she thought as she got into bed, an annoyed expression on her face. '_I mean, am I gonna have to spend the next week walking in on them_?'

Then, she blinked. Wait a second. Why was she getting worked up about this? It didn't matter who Jason or Lexie kissed. They were both completely allowed to enjoy each others' company. There wasn't anything wrong with a summer romance or fling. Kimberly almost laughed out loud at her earlier moment of silliness.

'_What Jason and Lexie do is their own business_,' she thought as she closed her eyes. '_Might as well try to sleep again_.'

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

_**I wanted to crank out an update for this, so, here it is.**_

_**As always, thanks for the support.**_

_**On I go...**_

* * *

"Thanks again for agreeing to have dinner with me," Derek told Kimberly on Tuesday evening. They were in a cafe they used to go to when they were dating.

Kimberly smiled. "Sure."

"It was great meeting your friends. Did they leave on Sunday?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sunday afternoon. They liked meeting you, too," she told him before taking a sip of her iced tea.

"I know that Jason's still here. You could've invited him to eat with us, too. I mean, I don't wanna disrupt the time you guys are-" Derek was saying.

"You're not. You're really not, Derek. This is fine," she assured him. "Besides, he couldn't have come anyway. He and Lexie are hanging out."

"Oh. Hey, uh, is he and Lexie into each other? I kinda got that impression at the beach," Derek said with a light chuckle.

"You're right on the money," Kimberly said, gripping her fork a little.

"Good for them, then. Lexie's great and Jason seems like a cool guy. Nothing wrong with a fling every now and then," Derek said.

"Nope," she said.

"It's too bad they don't have more time to hang out, though," he said.

"Yeah," she said.

"But, I guess you've gotta make the best of what ya got," he said.

"True," Kimberly said.

"Are you all right?" he asked, lifting his eyebrows.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" she asked.

"You sounded a little weird just then," he said.

"I did? The last couple days have been a little exhausting," she said, then, cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter. "How's your food?"

"It's pretty good. Yours?" he asked, deciding to ignore the not-so-clever subject change.

"It's delicious," she said, then, smiled. "Remember the first time we came here?"

"Like it was yesterday," he said. "I couldn't keep my eyes off of you."

"That was the plan," she joked- causing him to laugh.

"I've said it twice already, but, thanks for agreeing to this. I was a little worried you'd think it was a date and that-" he was saying.

"Derek, I trust you. I know you don't have any schemes up your sleeve. You said you'd wait and wouldn't push and I believe that," she said.

"I know," he said with a smile.

"But, it's normal to hope I give you the answer you want soon," she said.

"Definitely. Honestly, I wish I'd gotten it the night I told you how I still felt. But, like you said, I told you I wouldn't push and I meant that," he said.

"You really are a great guy," she said.

"And you're worth waiting for," he said.

* * *

Kimberly walked into her and Lexie's apartment an hour later, thinking about Derek and how nice and familiar everything had felt. It would be so easy to just fall back into things, to fall back in love... so, why couldn't she? Was she stopping herself? If so, why? Why would any sane person want to stop themselves from being with someone like Derek? How had she fallen out of love with him in the first place?

'_Maybe it's because he's a great guy, but, he's just not to meant to be my great guy_,' she thought as she sat down on the sofa.

Should she just call him up and tell him that she felt they were better off as friends? A part of her was very hesitant about that. '_Because I actually do wanna try again or because I'm trying to put off hurting him as long as I possibly can_?' she wondered silently. She sighed. It would probably be a good idea not to think about _any_ of this tonight.

Just then, she heard a key in the lock and laughter from outside. The door opened a few seconds later and Lexie walked in- followed by Jason. The two of them were all smiles. It was obvious they'd had a very good time- wherever they'd gone.

"I'll never forget the look on that waiter's face when you ordered that," Jason said, chuckling.

"Hey, I can't help the fact that I can be a weird eater," Lexie said, then, she noticed her roommate on the sofa, grinned and hurried over to her. "Hey, Kim. How'd things go with Derek?"

"It was pretty nice," Kimberly replied as Jason sat down in one of the chairs.

"Did you guys talk about..." Lexie said, lifting her eyebrows.

"Sort of. But, I still haven't told him what I wanted yet," Kimberly said. "And probably never will, at this point."

"Don't do that to yourself, Kim," Jason said. "I'm sure it won't take you too long to make up your mind."

"I'm with Jason," Lexie said.

'_No kidding_,' Kimberly thought sarcastically, then, blinked. What was with her? Did she have a problem with two of her friends having a thing? No. That didn't even make sense. This stuff with Derek was making her a little crazy, apparently.

"Whatever's meant to happen will happen when the time's right," Lexie said, squeezing Kimberly's shoulder.

"Yeah. Hey, do you guys mind if we not talk about Derek right now?" Kimberly said.

"You got it," Jason and Lexie said at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed.

"Speaking simultaneously. Kim, this is the part where you're supposed to say how adorable we are," Lexie said teasingly. Kimberly forced a smile and Lexie stood. "Nature just dialed my number. Be right back, folks," she said, then, headed for the bathroom.

Jason scratched his chin. "Kim?"

"Hmm?" she said.

"I told Lexie I'd like to stay a couple extra weeks," he said.

Kimberly stared at her friend as news that should've made her jump around in excitement made her feel as though someone was continuously kicking her in the stomach. She grabbed one of the pillows and hugged it to herself. "You would? Wow, that's... you would?"

"Yeah. Is that okay?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah, of course it is, Jase. Why wouldn't that be okay? We get to spend more time together," she said. '_And it'll be such a blast to watch you and my roommate be all over each other for two more weeks. Sounds better than Disney World._' There went the weird thoughts out of nowhere again... .

He smiled. "It's gonna be good getting to know Lexie better."

"Sure," Kimberly said, a slight edge in her voice. '_What? What is it? Chill out, Hart_.'

"You all right?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm. I'm just glad you wanna stay a little longer," she said. Lexie returned and Jason smiled at her. '_Is there a light in his eyes? What the- they haven't even known each other that long. I know he likes her, but, come on_!' Kimberly thought, then, blinked again. What was her _problem_? Why was she taking her frustration out on these two- mentally? She needed some sleep. Things always were always a little better in the morning, right?

"I just told Kim about hanging around a couple more weeks," Jason said as Lexie sat on the arm of his chair.

"Good. It's been really fun having you here, so, how crazy would it have been to object to an extended stay?" Lexie said.

"I'm just hoping you guys can stand me," he joked.

"I can stand anybody that enjoys my general weirdness," Lexie said, grinning.

"At least you're a good kind of weird," he said, then, looked at Kimberly- whom was hugging her pillow to her body tightly. The expression on her face was hard to read. Concern filled him. "Kim, are you sure you're okay?"

"Positive. Hey, I'm gonna head on to bed. I'll talk to you two tomorrow," Kimberly said, releasing the pillow and standing.

"Kim, it's still kind of early," Lexie said.

"Yeah, but, I'm a little drained, you know? Night," Kimberly said, then, headed out of the room.

* * *

"I'm glad you invited me over. I was bored out of my mind," Derek told Kimberly after she let him into her and Lexie's apartment on Friday evening. "I was about to go nuts."

"No way can that ever happen. I like you sane," she said with a laugh. "I'm glad you didn't have any plans because I needed the company."

"And whose company's more delightful than mine?" he said, then, laughed when she smirked. He looked around after they sat down on the sofa. "What are Jason and Lexie up to?"

"Dinner and a movie," Kimberly said, her tone not as lighthearted as it'd been just seconds ago. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Yeah," he said.

"All right. Well, we could watch some television," she said, grabbing the remote off of the coffee table. "Anything in particular you wanna see?"

"I'm fine with whatever you choose," he said.

"Even if it's a chick flick?" she teased.

"Sure. I like chicks," he joked.

Kimberly laughed, then, stopped abruptly and bit her lower lip. What was she doing? It was always good to see Derek, but, why had she asked him to come over? She sat the remote on the couch and sighed. "I'm sorry, Derek."

"Did I miss something?" he asked, confused.

"Well, I feel like I'm torturing you. We keep spending time together and acting like everything's normal. I don't think it's fair to you because I'm taking my precious time giving you an answer and it's-" she was saying.

He took her hand. "Kim, it's fine- seriously. I love spending time with you. It doesn't matter if you end up telling me that you don't wanna get back together. Sure it'll take some time getting used to, but, I don't think anything could make me wanna stop coming around you."

'_Why can't he be a jerk_?' she thought with a silent groan.

"I never would've come around you again after telling you how I felt if I thought it'd be torture. It's really not a problem. You'll tell me when you're ready and that's that. Like I told you, you're worth waiting for," he said.

Kimberly smiled at him. When he smiled back, memories of their time together began rushing into her brain. Before she could stop herself, she touched his face. She was now experiencing a lot of different emotions- meaning that common sense had checked out to go jogging or something for the time being. "You've always been good to me," she said softly before leaning in and pressing her lips to his.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hi, all. Here I am with what I hope is a passable update. I'm suffering from a little writer's block. Ugh.**_

_**As always, I appreciate the support. Thanks so much.**_

_**Well, let's get this party started...**_

* * *

Kimberly pulled away from a surprised Derek a few seconds later and guilt filled her. What was wrong with her? "Derek, I'm so sorry. I guess I got caught up in the moment and wasn't thinking clearly. No. No excuses. I shouldn't have done that- especially knowing how you feel. I'm so sorry."

"Kim-" he began.

"It was stupid of me and if you wanna go, I'd totally under-" she began.

"I don't wanna go and it wasn't stupid," he said.

"You don't have to say that," she said.

"If it wasn't true, I wouldn't have said it," he said with a laugh. "Listen, Kim, it happens. I'm not mad and I'm not gonna get my hopes up, either."

She half-laughed, half-sighed. "You're being too nice about this," she said.

"I'm not just trying to put you at ease or anything. I'm really serious here. I'm not gonna pretend I didn't like it, but, it definitely doesn't have to affect anything- we don't have to let it," he said. She stared at the coffee table and he took a deep breath. "Why don't we just watch television like you suggested a couple minutes ago?"

She lifted her head and looked at him. "I would if I could focus right now, but, I... my mind's a little... ."

"I understand. Do you wanna just get together and hang out another time?" he asked.

"I guess we should because I'm pretty sure I won't be the best company for the rest of the night," she said, giving him an apologetic smile. She could kick herself for ruining what started out as a perfectly nice and innocent time.

He smiled and gave her a comforting hug. "I want you to promise you'll try not to stress about this."

"Promise," she said softly. Trying was all she could do.

"Okay. Call me when you feel up to it," he said, standing.

"You got it," she said.

* * *

**(California)**

Rocky smiled when Trini walked into the coffeehouse- his workplace- the next afternoon. The original yellow ranger met his eyes, smiled back and began heading towards the counter. She, Rocky, Aisha and Zack had been hanging out together- just the four of them- twice a week. Rocky enjoyed talking with Trini.

"Hi, Rocky," she said.

"Hey, Trini," he said.

"I see it's not very busy. Strange for a Saturday," she said.

"You just wait twenty minutes and see what you'll be saying then," he said, laughing.

She laughed as well. "So, I'm sure it's safe to say you're ecstatic you don't have to stay here til closing."

"For sure," he said. He'd be taking off in a few hours. "I love this place and all, but, it's definitely got the power to make you go bananas."

"I believe that. Customers can be a pain in the neck," she said, nodding.

"You're telling me. See that guy over there- the one wearing that purple and orange shirt? And the brown socks?" Rocky said.

"Mm-hmm. I don't think he has mirrors in his house," Trini said as she studied the badly dressed, fifty-something man. She may not have been fashion-crazed, but, she _did_ believe in not looking like a clown.

"Well, he comes in here all the time. Besides looking like somebody that escaped from the circus, he gives all of us a headache and treats us like we're brain-dead morons. I'm telling ya, Trini. I didn't think anyone could be that hard to satisfy," Rocky said. "Anyway, what can I get you?"

"Just a cappuccino," she told him.

"For here or to go?" he asked.

"For here," she replied.

"Great," he said.

"Thanks," she said after he set the mug down in front of her several moments later.

"No problem," he said.

"Aisha's bouncing off the walls, by the way. She's really looking forward to her date with Zack tonight," Trini said, smiling.

"Zack is pretty pumped, too. Glad those two finally decided to give it a real shot," Rocky said, nodding.

"So am I," Trini said.

"You doing anything later?" he asked.

"I have tremendous plans to be bored," she said with a laugh.

"Those were gonna be my plans, too. But we could just rescue each other from boredom by going to the movies or something," he said.

"I'd like that," she said, then, turned mock serious. "We cannot let boredom win."

"There'd be no living with it if we did," he said in the same tone. They laughed, then, someone interrupted the moment by purposely clearing their throat loudly. The Clown Guy.

"Hey, buddy, I don't know if you realize this or not, but, you're not being paid to hang out with your girlfriend," the guy yelled. "I'm a _customer _that currently wants a refill and two blueberry muffins, if ya don't mind."

"Don't worry, Rocky. I'll be happy to deal with him," Holly, another employee, said in a cheerful tone.

"Thanks, Hol. I owe ya one," Rocky said.

"No way. I'm always glad to help you," she said, flashing him a bright smile, then, turned and began heading for the "pleasant" customer.

"Finally," the guy said loudly, glaring at Holly. "It's like pulling teeth trying to get decent service around here. I remember when this place had the best everything and now it's all been shot to Hell- thanks to your generation."

"I like him. I think I'll call him Sunny because he just makes me feel warm all over," Trini said to Rocky- whom laughed. Then, she grinned. "Holly seems to have a little crush on our very own Mr. Rocky DeSantos."

"Nah. She's just a little over-eager to help anyone sometimes, but, she's cool," he said.

"Are you trying to tell me that I don't know when someone's into my 'boyfriend'?" Trini joked- causing him to laugh again.

* * *

'_I can't believe I kissed him_,' Kimberly thought that evening as she pushed her food around on her plate. She was sitting in her kitchen with Jason, having dinner- Lexie was working and wouldn't be home until late. Jason was talking, but, Kimberly was half-listening because what had happened with Derek wouldn't stop entering her mind.

Jason stopped talking and gave his friend a sympathetic look. He knew she wasn't completely here with him and why- she'd told Lexie and him about kissing Derek. Jason just hated that Kimberly was having to deal with so much confusion and frustration. "Kim?"

She looked up at him and silently told herself to get with it. "Yeah?"

"You're human," he said quietly.

"I know that it's not the hugest mistake I'll ever make, but, Jase... I shouldn't have done it. I don't care that it was a moment of weakness or that I wasn't really thinking! He's still in love with me, Rex. He's still in love with me and wants another chance. It just feels like I screwed with his head," Kimberly said, sighing heavily.

"I hear ya, but, he knows you weren't playing with his emotions, Kim- and it _was_ an in-the-moment thing. That's the way it started with Lexie and me. Sometimes-" Jason was saying.

"This is not the same at all," Kimberly cut in. "That kiss led to _more_ kissing between you two and more everything."

"But it started off as a moment," he said, then, cocked his head slightly. "Maybe kissing him will turn out to be a good thing."

"You're kidding, right?" she said, her eyes wide.

"I'm just saying that it might end up making your choice easier," he said.

"Or harder," she said.

Jason opened his mouth to reply, but, snapped it shut when he realized he had absolutely nothing to say. What _could_ he say? He wanted to make things better for her and this was one of those times he had no idea how to go about doing it.

Kimberly sighed. "I'm sorry, Jase. This isn't your problem and I don't want you to have to deal with my mood."

"If I don't, who will?" he said with a wink. She gave a half-smile and he nodded. "That's a start."

"I think talking about something else would be best," she said.

"All right. What do you wanna talk about?" he asked.

"Anything," she said, her smile broader now.

"Carburetors?" he quipped.

She laughed. "_Almost_ anything," she shot back playfully.

"Well, I'm glad I met Lexie and that I'm gonna be getting to know her better," he said.

"Yeah. It's great how you guys hit it off so well," Kimberly said. That's what her head believed anyhow. '_I'm not gonna sit here and wonder why Jason and Lexie's fling makes me all weird. It's ridiculous and I've got enough going on as it is_,' she thought.

* * *

_"It was an excellent day for a picnic," Derek said as he and Kimberly walked in the park. "I'm really glad you suggested it. Remember our last picnic?"_

_She laughed. "I'll never forget. We got rained on."_

_"Yeah, but, it was still one of the best days of my life," he said, taking her hand and giving it a firm but gentle squeeze.  
_

_"The same goes for me. I just loved being with you. I always love being with you. It doesn't matter where we are or what we're doing. As long as you're with me and I know for sure that it's always gonna be that way. I am never gonna love anybody the way I love you. Truth is, I think I've known that all along," she said seriously._

_They stopped walking and he looked down into her eyes. "Tell me that you honestly mean that," he said, hope in his eyes and voice._

_She cupped his face. "I've never been more sure or serious about anything in my life. I could never love anyone else like this and there is no way I could ever have a world that you're not in." She was speaking straight from her soul. Yes, she was still young, but, she meant this. There was no doubt. Everything was completely clear and right. _

_He lifted her off the ground and she began laughing when he spun her around. He grinned after placing her back on her feet. "I don't even need to tell you how happy I am right now. I love you, too, Kim and I promise you that that's never gonna change." He lowered his head, she lifted her face and their lips met in a sweet kiss._

_When it ended, Kimberly opened her eyes and found Jason smiling at her. She smiled back easily. "Ready to get outta here?" she asked._

_"Yeah. Let's go," Jason said. Then, he slid his arm around her shoulders, she slid hers around his waist and they headed off... ._

Kimberly's eyes flew open and she sat straight up in her bed. She looked around her silent, dark bedroom- her mind whirling. She took a deep, shaky breath and clutched her covers. '_Why the heck would I have a dream like that? Was it something I ate_?' she wondered silently. It was definitely strange- so was the way she was now feeling.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

_**Here's an update for BTS. Hope y'all like.**_

_**As always, thanks for reading.**_

* * *

"Are you okay?" Jason asked Kimberly on Wednesday evening. The two of them were sitting on the sofa. Lexie was out running a couple errands, then, she'd have dinner with her parents.

"Yeah," Kimberly said, staring at the television... as though it were actually on.

Jason sighed and shook his head. She had been acting really weird towards him these last few days and he was worried. He was thinking it was all the Derek stuff, but, that was probably only part of it. '_I don't know what else is going on with her, but, all I can do is wait for her to tell me- if she tells me,_' he thought, sighing again.

Kimberly's stomach had been knotted up since she'd had that dream. She'd been feeling all out of whack. Why would she dream of Jason- in that way? One thing was for sure, she could not go on behaving the way she had been towards him. He was someone that meant a lot to her. Someone she'd always trust with everything in her. There was no way she could or would ever push him away- not intentionally. The guy was needed in her life and that was just all there was to it. '_Maybe I can tell him what's got me so weird without actually telling him. I don't want him so worried about me_,' she thought, then, cleared her throat. "Jase?"

"Yeah?" he said.

She tucked her legs underneath her and took a deep breath. "Jase, I need your opinion on something."

"All right," he said.

"It's about dreams. Do you think _all_ dreams mean something?" she asked.

"Depends on the dream," he said.

"Yeah," she said softly, then, cleared her throat again. "Okay. Let's say someone had a... romantic dream about someone they only see as a friend. Do you think that that necessarily means the person secretly wants more than friendship or that it was just a dream?"

Jason thought for a few moments. "Well, we both know that it's normal to dream of friends as something more sometimes, so, I'll go with: it's just a dream."

"That makes perfect sense," she said. It did. In fact, that's what she'd been trying to tell herself. But something was preventing her from being totally convinced.

"Why the dream talk? What brought it on? Did ya have a dream about Lexie or something?" he teases, winking.

"No, dirty mind," she said, grabbing a pillow and hitting him with it. "It was someone I know that had the dream. She told me it was really stressing her." The lie had come almost too easily. How could she possibly tell him _she _was the dreamer and he was the dream_ee_? '_Dreamee isn't even a word. Okay, it actually is. It just doesn't have two Es at the end of dream. But, since it's... oh, geez, I really am going bananas here_.'

Jason rubbed his chin. "Well, it doesn't sound like she has anything to worry about. Sometimes, dreams are just dreams."

"That's true," she said. "Maybe she just wants a puppy or goldfish." Yet she couldn't fully believe her dream had been _just_ a dream. '_Maybe I'm just a little freaked right now because of everything else that's going on. Maybe it actually was just a dream_.'

"Hey, why don't you let me cook dinner?" he said. He wasn't the best cook, but, there were some things he could handle.

"That's sweet, but, I don't mind," she said.

"Neither do I. So, how 'bout it?" he asked.

"Okay. You'll be the cook," she said with a smile.

"Great. Just don't expect the fancy lobsters and steaks you're used to, Firebird," he said, grinning.

"All right. But, I'm expecting _not_ to be poisoned," she quipped.

"You're hilarious," he said dryly.

"It's a gift," she said cheerfully. She was going to put this dream stuff out of her mind. There was no reason to stress and freak about it, so, she wasn't going to.

* * *

Rocky stood in his and Zack's kitchen on Friday night, refilling his and Trini's glasses with soda. Aisha and Trini had come over a couple hours earlier and the four of them had eaten dinner together. They were all now watching a movie. Zack walked in wearing his trademark smile.

"What's up?" Rocky asked.

"Potato chip refill," Zack replied.

"Chips make me happy, too," Rocky joked.

"Nah, bro. Miss Campbell's the reason for the Zackman's smile," Zack said as he grabbed a bag of potato chips.

Rocky grinned. "Glad to hear it. I know I don't have anything to worry about, but, I have to say what I'm about to say anyway 'cause, well, it's like an unwritten rule. Here it is: ya hurt her, ya die."

Zack laughed. "Understood, man, understood. But I'm pretty sure if I ever crossed her, Aisha would feed me to a gorilla before you or Adam even got the chance to."

"True story," Rocky said with a laugh.

"Speaking of no-joke yellow rangers, what's up with you and Trini?" Zack asked, leaning back against the counter.

"What do you mean?" Rocky asked.

"What do I- don't play with me, DeSantos," Zack said, smirking.

Rocky smiled. "Truth is, I'm not all that sure, man. She's gorgeous, smart, funny. Great person to talk to and be around. But, I can't really see her seeing me as her type."

"Not her type? Rock, you're good people. Sure, you have an appetite that can scare us sometimes, but, you're good people," Zack said.

"I don't know. I always kinda figured Trini would go for more of a Billy type, ya know?" Rocky said. He wasn't exactly shy, however, Trini was a special girl.

"I hear ya. But, like I said, you're a good guy, Rocky. You wouldn't let her down or rip her heart out," Zack said honestly.

"Yeah, but-" Rocky began.

"I've known Trini since the playground days. If I thought for a second that you weren't any good for her, I wouldn't be telling you to go for it, my man," Zack said.

"Good point," Rocky said, nodding. He seriously couldn't argue with that. No way would one of Trini's best friends encourage a jackass to go after her.

"I know. Now, don't take a lifetime getting around to it," Zack said, standing and clapping his friend on the shoulder.

Rocky's eyebrows shot up. "You're one to talk, Taylor. I mean, you and Aisha sure took your precious time getting it together," he said, amused.

"That's different," Zack said.

Rocky picked up his and Trini's glasses. "This I gotta hear. How's it different?"

"Because you and... 'Sha and I didn't... well, it's like this, we... shut up, man," Zack said.

Rocky laughed and followed his friend out of the kitchen.

* * *

Kimberly sat on her bed the next day- Saturday afternoon- staring at the telephone in her hand. Lexie and Jason had gone out for lunch. They'd invited Kimberly, but, she'd gotten almost physically ill at the thought of going with them, so, she'd declined. She wasn't going to think about how weird she continued to be about her friends' fling. She was thinking about the other reason she hadn't wanted to go. Derek. She wanted to talk to him.

She sighed, then, dialed his telephone number a few moments later. '_Please be there,_ _please be there_.'

"Hello?" came his voice after four rings.

"Hi, Derek," she said, leaning back against the headboard.

"Kim! I'm glad you called," he said.

"What are you up to?" she asked.

"Not much. Just watching some bad TV," he said. "How've you been?"

"Okay, I guess," she said softly. "How about you?"

"Well, I've been concerned about you. Hoping you haven't been obsessing about the kiss," he said.

"I know I sound like a broken record, but, you really are a great guy," she said. The powerful emotions she'd been dealing with a lot lately were currently having a war inside of her. However, things were clear this time around... . "But, I didn't call to talk about the kiss. I called to see if you were home. I wanna come over because I wanna talk to you in person."

He spoke again after what seemed like an eternity. "Is this about us?"

"Yeah," she said, her tone serious. "I've finally made a decision and I know it's the right one."

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

_**Well, I figured now was as good a time as any to update this story again. It's not the best, but, it's okay.  
**_

_**As always, the support is very much appreciated.**_

* * *

A short while later, Kimberly and Derek were sitting on the sofa in the apartment he shared with his roommate- Kimberly had come over a few minutes earlier. Derek was looking at his ex-girlfriend expectantly. He'd be lying if he said wasn't almost overly anxious to hear what she had to say. She took a deep breath, turned and looked into his eyes.

"I love you," she said. "That's one thing I've always been totally sure about."

"I love you, too," he said. Silence blanketed them once again and he began squirming uncomfortably- unable to help it. He wasn't going to push her, but, the level of his curiosity was increasing at a rapid rate. Her eyes shifted their focus to the coffee table, then, back to him several, agonizing seconds later.

"I guess I should get right to it, huh?" she said, as though sensing his growing impatience.

"Go ahead," he said gently.

She took another deep breath, then, started to speak when the phone suddenly rang. When he made no move to answer it, her eyebrows shot up. "Aren't you gonna get that?"

"If it's important, they'll leave a message," he said.

She nodded, then, spoke up after the ringing had ceased. "The thing is... you see... it's just... Derek, you're the perfect guy... for someone else."

The words hit him like freezing, cold water. Of course, he'd expected to feel this way had she turned him down, but, it still came as sort of a shock somehow. "Huh," was all he could say.

Her expression was apologetic and guilty. "I am so sorry. I am. But, I seriously feel that we shouldn't get back together."

He nodded, but, chose not to even attempt words at the moment.

"If we got together again, it'd be unfair to you because you would be the only person in love. You'd eventually become miserable and I don't want that at all. You deserve the kind of happiness that's outta this world," she said.

"So do you," he managed.

"I can't even imagine how you're feeling right now. Boy. You're the second guy that's loved me and gotten hurt by me," she said, her voice catching.

He took her hand. "Kim, I _am_ hurt, but, it's my fault."

"What? No. Derek, don't do that. Don't. You-" she was saying.

"What I mean is that I started this by telling you I wanted another chance," he said.

"But that doesn't mean you're to blame! You were just telling me how you felt and- in spite of what just happened here- I'm glad you did," she said.

"So am I," he admitted. "Truthfully, it's nobody's fault. You didn't _deliberately_ hurt me. That's not who you are."

Kimberly sort of lost it, then. She snatched her hand away, then, sprang to her feet. "Could you please stop being so _nice _about all of this!? Derek, I just told you something you were not hoping to hear! Don't hold anything in! Let it all out! I can take it!"

"What do you want me to say, Kim?" he exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"That you're annoyed! Maybe even pissed! Say that you wanna drown me right now or something! Just don't be so understanding! It's only making me feel worse! I know that's selfish and please don't tell me it's _not_ because we both know it is!" she said, her voice thick with intense emotion.

He stood. "Okay, fine. Fine. I _am_ annoyed. I'm very annoyed. I was hoping with all I have in me that you'd say you wanted me back! But you didn't and I can't even verbalize how that makes me feel. But, I'm not gonna stand here and bite your head off. What'd be the point? All you did is what I wanted you to do- which is make a decision. It_ definitely_ wasn't the one I wanted, but, I mean, what... I don't know."

Tears were streaming down her face now. "I just don't want you to feel that you have to hold back- for anything. You're upset and you have every right to show it."

His eyes flashed. "I'm more than upset, Kim," he said in an anguish-filled voice. "But, there's nothing you or I can do about it. I can't make you want what I want. I can't fight for a heart that's not interested in being mine anymore."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "For everything."

"I believe that. But, the best thing you can do at this moment is leave because I just really wanna be alone right now," he said seriously.

"Derek, I-" she began.

"Kim, please. Looking at you while knowing what I do is killing me," he said forlornly.

She stared at him with dejected eyes for a couple seconds, then, nodded in understanding, turned and hurried for the door. After she'd exited the apartment, he sat down on the couch... feeling as though every, single inch of his body had been brutally kicked.

* * *

"And you're really not kidding me?" Lexie said as she led the way into Kimberly's and her apartment nearly an hour later.

"I'm really not," Jason said with a laugh.

"Well, in that case, it's great! It'll be even greater if you decide to go through with it," she said as they headed for the sofa. She grinned and plopped down. "Scratch that. It'll be terrific. Kim's gonna love it."

Before Jason could reply, Kimberly walked into the room. He smiled at his friend. "Hey, Kim."

"Hi," she said. "How was lunch?"

"Delicious. I wish you would've come, Kim. I had this- whoa, hold everything! Have you been crying?" Lexie asked, then, sprang to her feet and hurried over to her roommate. "What happened?"

"It's all over," Kimberly said, sighing.

"What is?" Jason asked as he walked up to her.

"I went over to Derek's and told him that I don't think we should get back together," she said miserably.

Lexie and Jason looked at each other in surprise. They hadn't expected to hear that Kimberly'd already made a decision. Lexie began leading her roommate towards the sofa. "That must've been awful for you both," Lexie said softly as the three of them sat.

"It was horrible," Kimberly said, shaking her head. "He is so, so hurt right now. The look on his face and the pain in his voice almost made me take back what I said."

"I get where you're coming from, Kim. But, we all know that giving him a second chance because it's what he wanted would've hurt him more in the long run," Jason said.

"I know. But, Derek's so important to me, Jase. Even though it wasn't intentional, I hurt him. I did. Knowing that and what kind of person he is... it's tearing me up inside," Kimberly said glumly.

"That's only natural, Kim. You care a lot about him and you always will," Lexie said, squeezing her hand.

"He knows that, Kim. He just needs time right now," Jason said.

"I know something that will put a smile on your face," Lexie said. "Tell her, Jason."

"Yeah, go ahead. I could use a little lift," Kimberly said.

"Well, I've been doing a little thinking and I might make a permanent move to Florida," Jason said.

Kimberly's jaw dropped and she stared at him in astonishment. Her first thoughts were: '_He wants to move down here for a girl he hasn't even been seeing that long!? Is he outta his mind_!?' This could only mean one thing. '_He's in love with her_.' The thought caused sensations she wasn't going to try and analyze at the moment. She knew that she was probably jumping the gun, but, what was she supposed to think? Right?

Lexie grinned. "Look at her. She's all speechless," she teased. "I knew you'd be psyched, Kim. I'm gonna get us some soda." She stood and headed for the kitchen.

Kimberly managed to find her voice. "Moving here. You and Lexie. You guys, um, are going pretty fast," she said with a little laugh.

His eyebrows shot up. "Lexie? As much as I like her, she's not the reason I'm considering this- even though she's definitely an added bonus. The reason is that a change of scenery could be good for me and you being here is the biggest plus."

She had to smile at that. She knew he meant it. Having Jason here would make her happy. '_I was all set for him to say he's in love, but, I should've known better. No, I do know better. Man. I've really gotta try and stop acting like a judge is giving me the death penalty whenever I see Lex and Jase together_,' she thought. She smiled again. "I hope you decide to move here, Jase."

"I just might," he said with a smile.

"I'll keep my fingers crossed 'cause having you here would be fantastic. I love you," she said, then, hugged him and closed her eyes. A very warm feeling came over her without warning. "I really do."

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

_**Here's a ****possibly passable **__**update for BTS. I think my desire to write has returned- maybe not completely, but, I'll get there. I'm DeterminedDiva. LOL.**_

_**Okay, I'm shutting up now.**_

* * *

It was now a month later- the third Saturday in August- and on this particular afternoon, Lexie, Kimberly and Jason were all at the beach. Jason'd made the move to Florida two weeks earlier. Of course, he was staying with Lexie and Kimberly until he found a job. Anyhow, Kimberly sat on her pink towel- watching Lexie and Jason splash and horse around in the water. They looked like your typical, ordinary couple.

'_It's great. I'm happy they're happy_. _I really am. It's great. It is_,' Kimberly thought. She'd promised herself she'd deal with this. Even though it seriously shouldn't have been anything to deal with. Two of her closest friends were into each other. They were both good people, so, why should Kimberly have this weird problem with them?

Her stomach tightened. The scary thing was that she believed she knew the answer. But, she didn't like to think about it because it was crazy. Too bad the thoughts crept in anyway. '_I can't be jealous of Jase and Lex. It's totally ridiculous_.' No. No, she was not jealous. That was insane.

'_Or is it_?' that annoying little voice in her head whispered.

"Yes, it is!" she blurted before she could stop herself. A guy walking in front of her gave her an odd look and her face heated up. '_I'm nuts_,' she thought with a deep sigh, then, drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She watched as Lexie curled her arms around Jason. The two shared a smile and Kimberly's irritation returned in full force.

'_Ugh! I love Lexie, but, why him? Why'd she have to hook up with my Jason?_' she thought, her eyes flashing. The former pink ranger paled and her heart froze. Her Jason? _Her _Jason? How could she think of him that way? Man, she really was out of her mind. '_I'm gonna get it together before something totally stupid happens. Jason's my friend. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm probably jealous because I'm alone. That makes sense_.'

'_But, it's not true_,' the little voice whispered.

Kimberly's eyes narrowed. She wasn't about to pay that voice any more attention.

"Such a beautiful day, isn't it, dear?"

Kimberly looked to her right to see a sixty-something woman giving her a smile warmer than the sun. In spite of her mood, Kimberly smiled in return. "It really is."

"But I get the sense you can't fully enjoy it," the woman said softly. There was a hint of sympathy in her voice.

"Well, I..." Kimberly's voice trailed off.

"I noticed you watching the young man and woman in the ocean with an unhappy expression. Forgive me if I'm overstepping boundaries, but, you've been in love with him for a very long time, haven't you?" the woman asked.

Kimberly's eyes widened. In love? Wow. The woman seemed sweet, but, she was way off base here. "No! No, ma'am. Um, Jason- the guy- is a very good friend of mine. We've been close all our lives. Just a really special friendship, that's all."

The woman nodded. "It's clear that he's special to you."

"He is. But, not in the way you think," Kimberly said, her pulse rate picking up.

"Dear... many years ago, I had a best friend named Edward and I didn't accept that he was much more until it was too late. Sweetheart, please don't make the mistake I and many others have made," the woman said.

Kimberly took a deep breath. "Even if I was in love with him, he's dating my roommate- who's also my friend."

"I'm sure she's a lovely girl. But, dear, you must remember that everything happens for a reason. It's quite possible that he was led to her so_ she_ would lead_ him_ to you," the woman said, then, smiled. "I apologize if I've upset you."

"Oh, you haven't. It's fine," Kimberly assured her. The woman leaned forward and patted the young woman's shoulder softly, then, straightened, turned and began walking away. Kimberly stared after her for several moments. The woman's words had caused the war Kimberly's emotions were having to intensify.

'_But I haven't always been in love with Jason! If that's true, how could I have been in love with two other guys? She's sweet, but, soo wrong_,' Kimberly thought, shaking her head. Sure, she'd had a crush on Jason during the pre-Tommy days- one that only Trini'd known about- but, it'd faded when Tommy'd entered the picture.

'_Crush_?' the little voice said.

'_Please don't start_,' Kimberly said silently, closing her eyes. She badly wanted that voice to just shut up already.

'_Your feelings for Jason were meaningful and they never died_,' the little voice said.

Kimberly groaned. She needed to talk to Trini.

* * *

"I'm glad you're home. I really need to talk to you," Kimberly said into her telephone over an hour later. She'd come straight home after leaving the beach, but, Jason and Lexie had decided to go who knew where.

"I won't be leaving this apartment until tonight, actually. Rocky and I are going out to dinner," Trini said.

Kimberly smiled. Rocky and Trini had been officially going out for three weeks. It was unexpected, but, great. "I'm just so happy for you guys."

"Thanks. I'm glad we chose to give it a try," Trini said. "So, what do you need to talk about? Is everything all right?"

Kimberly plopped down on her bed with a sigh. "I wish I could say yes. Trini, I... I have this problem with Jason dating Lexie and it's making me nuts because I _shouldn't_ have a problem with it." Why not get straight to the point? Besides, it was long-distance.

"You feel something for Jason," Trini said. It wasn't a question. Just a plainly stated fact.

"But how could I?" Kimberly exclaimed. "I mean, it just doesn't make any sense, Trini. Jason and I are friends. _Friends_! I haven't felt anything _more_ in years!"

"Well, Kim, maybe it just seems that way. Your feelings for Jason have probably always been there- in a place deep inside of you- and when he started seeing Lexie and you saw how he was around her, those feelings rose to surface again," Trini said.

"No, Trini. I could easily be jealous because I don't have anyone. I mean, come on, that's a pretty good reason," Kimberly said, ignoring her now rapid heart rate.

"It is. But, Kim, it sounds like you're trying to convince yourself," Trini said quietly.

"I know, but, I'm not. I'm seriously not. Seriously," Kimberly said, then, sighed again. "We were all at the beach earlier and this woman saw me watching Jase and Lex play around in the water. She basically said I've been in love with him for a long time and that it's possible that Jason was led to Lexie so she could lead him to me."

"Actually, that makes a lot of sense," Trini said.

Kimberly's frustration made her want to scream and the fact that Trini wasn't even surprised by any of this made her more than a little nervous. "Trini, if you, the woman and that annoying voice is right, then, what does that say about Tommy and Derek?"

"It doesn't say anything. What you felt for them was completely real. What you feel for Jason doesn't make what you had with them less important. What you feel for Jason is just different," Trini said, then, laughed. "And what annoying voice?"

"The one in my head," Kimberly said glumly. "I can't believe how crazy everything's been lately."

"I'm so sorry you have to deal with all of this," Trini said sincerely.

Kimberly looked down at her feet. "Let's talk about something else," she said in a now toneless voice.

* * *

It was now almost midnight and Kimberly had been sitting in her and Lexie's kitchen for about ten minutes. Jason and Lexie were still out. Still... out. Kimberly was doing what she couldn't stop doing: thinking about the feelings Jason and Lexie's relationship caused in her. Relationship. Is that what they had now? If not, they were certainly heading there... .

Suddenly, the dream she'd had a few weeks ago about Jason came rushing back to her without warning and she stiffened. Then, what the woman from the beach and Trini had said floated into her mind. It all forced her to accept what she already knew and tears filled her eyes.

'_I am in love with Jason Scott and the worst part is that there's nothing I can do about it_,' she thought before a loud sob escaped from her throat.

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

_**Decided to crank out another update for BTS.  
**_

_**As always, thanks for the encouraging feedback.**_

* * *

'_Why didn't I just give them some stupid excuse and stay home_?' Kimberly thought for the tenth time.

It was Monday evening and Kimberly was sitting in a restaurant- having dinner with Lexie and Jason. It'd been Lexie's idea. Kimberly had been kicking herself for not declining since they'd all left the apartment. However, another part of her felt she should pretend everything was fine, so, her friends wouldn't worry. It wasn't as though she could tell them what the problem was.

'_They can't know. It'll just ruin everything. I'll just have to cope_,' she thought, then, almost laughed out loud. She'd been doing a _lot_ of coping when it came to these two. Her chest tightened when memories from the other night entered her brain. She'd ended up crying herself to sleep. '_Well, I better start talking some more again. Gotta keep up appearances and all_.' She cleared her throat. "I can't believe summer's practically over." '_So lame_.'

"Yeah," Lexie agreed. "Summer's always been my second favorite season. But, ya know, time sure can fly like crazy."

"Definitely," Kimberly said before drinking some of her water.

"By the way, guys, my favorite cousin's wedding is this Saturday. How about accompanying wacky ol' me?" Lexie said.

"Sure," Jason said.

"You're not gonna assure me that I'm not wacky?" Lexie said, mock hurt.

He pretended to think for a few moments, then, shook his head. "Nah."

"Well, that's a relief- 'cause I like being wacky. It's a nice look on me," she said, nodding.

"True story," he said, amusement in his eyes.

She laughed, reached over and squeezed his hand. "You're the cutest, you know that?"

"Of course," he quipped.

She smirked then looked at Kimberly- whom was resisting the urge to bolt right on out of the building as hard as she could. "What about you, Kim? Wanna come to the wedding?"

'_Going to a wedding with the guy I'm in love with and the girl he's dating. I'd rather have whatever's behind door number two_,' Kimberly thought. She flashed the most polite smile she could muster. "Thanks, Lex, but, I'm gonna have to pass."

Jason's eyebrows shot up. "Kim, you love weddings."

"Yeah, but, I have other plans. Congratulate your cousin for me, Lex," she said. It wasn't a lie exactly. She _did_ have plans... plans to lock herself up in her room and want what she couldn't have.

"Okay. I'm sorry you can't come," Lexie said.

Jason watched as Kimberly smiled briefly, then, resumed eating. Something was off. Way off. He had been feeling it since yesterday. The mask she wore didn't fool him and he was kind of surprised she believed it did. He knew her too well- it was almost scary at times. '_I hope you tell me what's wrong, Kim_.'

* * *

It was now five days later- Saturday afternoon- and Rocky was in Angel Grove Park, staring at the picnic he'd set up for Trini and himself. She'd be along soon. '_Sweet. The day's perfect and I've got great food for us_,' he thought with a smile. He could hardly wait until his girlfriend arrived. '_Trini Kwan is my girlfriend_,' he thought. He was sure he looked like a grinning geek, but, who cared? He was happy.

"That smile gets nicer every time I see it," a female voice said.

Rocky looked up and to his right. He headed over to Trini and the couple shared a hug. "Thanks to you, all I can do these days is smile," he said, tucking a lock of her dark hair behind her ear.

"It's good to know I have that effect on you," she said with a soft smile, then, moved her focus to the picnic. "It looks great, Rocky."

"Glad you approve," he said. "Happy one-month anniversary."

A warmth filled her. "Happy one-month anniversary," she said, hugging him again.

"I know that sitting on the ground and eating lunch isn't the most traditional way to start an anniversary celebration-" he was saying.

She took his hands in hers. "I think that unconventional can be more fun sometimes."

"And totally amazing things can come from... unconventional," he said, looking into her eyes.

She grinned knowingly. "I couldn't agree more and I can't think of a better way to start off a celebration than this."

He smiled. "Shall we, Miss Kwan?"

"We shall, Mr. DeSantos," she said, feeling a rush of sheer happiness.

* * *

"Are you still on this lovely planet with me, Jason?" Lexie said, her eyebrows raised.

Jason blinked, then, sighed. "Yeah, I'm with ya. I'm sorry about spacing out like that."

It was now two weeks later- the second Friday in September- and on this particular evening, Jason and Lexie were sitting on the sofa, talking. Well, Lexie was talking and Jason was barely listening. He wasn't purposely being rude, of course, but, something else was on his mind.

"I forgive ya 'cause I like ya," she said with a smile. "Are you thinking about your new job?"

"Huh?" He'd zoned out once again. The original red ranger felt a stab of guilt for not being better company. "Again, Lex, I'm sorry. But, no, I'm not thinking about my new job." He would began working at a dojo in three days.

"Well, is something wrong?" she asked.

"It's... where do you think Kim is?" he asked. "She's been off work almost two hours and... I just hope she's okay."

Lexie laughed. "It's sweet to be all brotherly, but, I'm sure Kim's fine," she assured him.

The word "brotherly" caused a bolt of annoyance to go through Jason, then, he felt kind of idiotic for being annoyed. '_She made an innocent, normal comment. Chill out, Scott_,' he told himself. But, he couldn't relax. He had been really worried about Kimberly the last couple weeks. She'd insisted everything was fine, but, he knew better.

Just then, he heard a key turn in the lock and sat up straight. It may have sounded crazy, but, he wouldn't feel totally at ease until he saw Kimberly. The door opened and immense relief filled him when she stepped into the apartment. She closed and locked the door, then, immediately met his eyes.

"Hey, guys," she said, her eyes not straying from Jason's.

"Hey, there, Hart," Lexie said with a grin.

"Hey, Kim. I'm glad you're home," Jason said, an odd but somehow familiar sensation washing over him.

"I went for a drive, then, to a coffeehouse," she said. They continued to look at each other as though it were physically impossible to stop.

"Hey, how about Chinese takeout?" Lexie suggested.

Jason looked over at her. "What?"

"Chinese takeout. Ya know, food," she said, then, laughed and shook her head. "You are really out of it."

"Chinese would be excellent. I'm gonna go to my room for a while," Kimberly said, then, headed off.

"Well, that's two. You in the mood for Chinese, Jase?" Lexie asked as she grabbed the phone off the coffee table.

"Yeah," he said distractedly. It was weird. He thought he'd relax after seeing Kimberly, but, he had grown even _more_ concerned and all he seriously wanted to do right now was go to her.

* * *

Kimberly was standing in the kitchen five days later- Wednesday evening- fixing herself a salad. Lexie was working and Jason was in the living room. Being alone with him made her happy and miserable. Kimberly sighed deeply. '_I actually kinda hope I do go crazy. Living in my head seems incredibly tempting right about now_.'

"Kim?"

The sound of his voice made her want to smile and cry. "Yeah?" she said tonelessly without even turning around.

Jason walked up to her and sighed when he noticed her tense up slightly. "Kim-"

"Jase, if you're gonna ask if I'm okay, don't. I already told you I am," she said. Her heart started to pound.

"I know," he said quietly.

She looked at him. "You just don't believe me."

"No, Pinky, I don't," he said honestly.

"Jase-" she began.

"I don't wanna push you. I just want you to remember that I'll always help you in any way I can," he said.

"I know," she said, unable to keep her voice from cracking. "But you can't help me this time."

"You can't know that unless you-" he began.

Her emotions became overpowering. "You can't!" she yelled. "You can't help at all, Jason. This is something I have to deal with on my own."

"You don't _have_ to, Kim. That's what-" he was saying.

"Don't," she said, tears filling her eyes. She was about to lose it... .

"Kim, whatever you're going through is obviously serious and you know it's not exactly easy for me to just overlook it. I don't like seeing you like this. It's-" he was saying.

"I'm in love with you!" she blurted.

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

_**Here's another update for BTS. I know I left the evil cliffie (giggles), but, I'm back now, so, put those weapons away.  
**_

_**As always, thanks for the amazing support.**_

_**Now, on with the angst, torture and love triangle thing... .**_

* * *

Kimberly gasped, then, covered her mouth. '_I can't believe I just said that_!' she thought, her eyes wide with horror and shock. How could she have just blurted it out like that? What was _wrong _with her? Her heart felt as though it were about to fly right out of her chest. '_If they had a 'Most Moronic Person Ever' contest, I know I'd win first place_.'

Jason stood stock-still, staring at the petite, young woman in total astonishment. He had no idea how to respond to what he'd just heard. Even if he had, he'd be half-worried that she'd go racing right out of the kitchen the second he said anything. '_Is this even really happening_?' he wondered. Had Kimberly Hart seriously just said she was in love with him? _What_?

Kimberly slowly moved her hand off of her mouth and blinked her tears away. She couldn't even describe everything she was feeling in this moment, but, she had to say something- anything- before he could. She took as deep a breath as she could, then, forced herself to look into those eyes. She ignored the light flutter in her stomach.

"I'm sorry, Jason. I shouldn't have said that. It was beyond stupid. I mean, you're dating my roommate," she said, shaking her head. "So, you don't have to feel uncomfortable or anything. Well, I know it'll be kinda hard not to, but, still. You don't even have to respond."

The last statement caused Jason to find his voice. "Kim... how can you be in love with me?" His voice was almost eerily calm.

"I always have been," she whispered.

Astonishment washed over him a second time. "You always have been."

"I started feeling something for you in eighth grade and I thought it disappeared forever when Tommy and I got together. Then, I fell for Derek... . I was wrong, Jase. Seeing you with Lex woke all of those feelings up. I tried to tell myself I was just jealous of you two because I was alone, but, I knew better. Deep down, I knew better," she said, struggling not to cry.

Jason was now pretty sure that this was "Shock The Hell Out Of Jason Scott" Day. Hearing her say it started in junior high caused memories to flood his brain... memories of him telling Zack about his own more-than-friendly feelings towards Kimberly. '_She felt the same way_.' He put those feelings to sleep when she'd laid eyes on Tommy because her happiness and their friendship had meant so much to him. Besides, he knew Tommy would be good for her. That had made everything a lot easier to deal with.

Hearing about the breakup letter and Derek had shocked, hurt, angered and disappointed Jason. He'd been angry with and disappointed in Kimberly because of the way she'd handled the breakup- after all, Tommy hadn't deserved that. He'd been hurt because Kimberly had once again fallen for someone who wasn't him. But, he decided he had to get over it- again- and had continued to date girls in Switzerland.

He thought of Emily, then. What they had had been real and special. However, sometime after their breakup- he hadn't told anyone about this- Kimberly'd started popping into his head a lot for awhile. Now, Lexie was in the picture... .

"I did love Tommy and Derek- I still do and always will- but, with you, it's always been different. I don't know if that makes much sense to you, but-" Kimberly was saying.

"It does," he said. "More than you know. Kim, I felt the same way you did back then. Only Zack knew."

Kimberly's eyebrows shot up and a bolt of happiness went through her. "Wow."

"Yeah," he said, then, sighed. "I'm sorry you've had to watch Lexie and me all this-"

"No, no, no. You've got no reason to apologize," she assured him, then, sighed as well. "Jase, this doesn't have to change anything. I think you should try and focus on Lexie and having something great with her because I want you to be happy. I really do. I'll just deal with this as best as I can."

"Kim..." his voice trailed off.

"It'll be hard as all get out, but, I'll deal. I don't wanna wreck anything. I'd rather cut out my own heart than see you unhappy," she said. She sounded tearful now, but, she continued to speak anyway. "So try and build something with Lexie. I know you care about her and she cares about you. You guys could have something very special. Just, just focus on that. Do it for all of us."

"Kim, I... you know what? I'm gonna do all I can to make this easier for you. I'm gonna try and find my own place as soon as possible," he said, nodding. Seeing _her_ unhappy wasn't an option for him, either.

"Okay," she said. She felt terrible because a part of her had been hoping he'd tell her that as good a person as Lexie was, he was more interested in giving Kimberly and himself a chance. But, she knew that wouldn't be right. Lexie was her friend and she didn't want to hurt her. '_I'm not gonna complicate things for Jason any more than I have already_.'

Jason's heart was twisting painfully. Seeing Kimberly this way, knowing what he now knew and... Lexie... . He wanted to pull Kimberly into his arms and comfort her- it was just pure instinct- but, he knew that it wouldn't be the best idea.

Kimberly began growing uneasy and the ache in her heart was sharpening. "Listen, Jason, I kinda wanna be... could you..."

He nodded in understanding. "Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Whatever you need. I'm gonna go for a walk." She nodded, then, he turned and exited the kitchen.

'_I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry_,' she told herself silently. But she knew it was a battle she'd lose.

* * *

It was now six weeks later- the first Friday in November- and Jason and Lexie were having dinner in the apartment he'd moved into two weeks earlier. He didn't have any living room furniture yet- or any furniture, really- so, the two were sitting in folding chairs at a card table.

"By the way, I've been meaning to tell you that I know a place you can get a good deal on a bed- unless you've fallen in love with the rollaway bed Kim and I gave you," Lexie said, a playful glint in her eyes.

He laughed. "I think I can give it up."

She smiled. "And don't worry about having to buy a sofa or coffee table. My aunt has one of each to spare and it's in decent condition. I told her you could use 'em and that's that."

"Lex, that was really nice of you. Thanks," he said with a grateful smile.

"Hey, it wasn't even the slightest problem. I'm happy to help you in any way I can," she said, then, she cocked her head slightly. "Wow. It's hard to believe we've known each other almost five months." She smiled again. "I wasn't expecting us to happen when you came to visit, but, I'm so glad we did. Jason, you're one of the most amazing guys I've ever met."

"You're amazing, too, Lexie," he said seriously.

"Thank you," she said softly, then, she took a few bites of her food. Several moments later, she spoke up again. "Are you up for having lunch with my parents tomorrow?"

Jason's stomach clenched more than a little. Meeting the parents. That was pretty big. It meant... . Anyhow, it was normal for her to bring this up- especially considering how long they'd been seeing each other- but, he just wasn't too crazy about the idea and that made him feel awful.

"Believe me, if you say no, I'll understand- after all, I've told you about my mom," she said with a laugh, then, shrugged. "It's just that they wanna meet the guy that has me floating on air- those were my mother's words, I _promise_."

He laughed. "Yeah. You're too cool to talk like that," he teased.

"I do believe I wrote the book on cool, ma cherie," she said in a French accent- causing him to laugh once again. "Now, are you laughing because I'm right or because I'm horrendous at sounding French?"

"The second one," he quipped.

"You're right," she agreed with a laugh. "But, hey, I _did_ write the book on cool. Ask around."

"Count on it," he joked, then, his lighthearted mood vanished as he thought of lunch with her parents once again. A part of him wanted to agree to it and another part of him felt like he... shouldn't. '_All right, Scott. Get it together. Lexie's a great person and this would make her happy_.' "I'm up for lunch tomorrow, Lex."

"Great," she said, grinning. "If five minutes with my mother makes you wanna take off running and screaming from the cafe, I'll hold the door open for ya."

He laughed. "Don't worry. I'm sure it'll go okay."

"Whatever happens, I'm glad they're gonna meet you," she said honestly. "By the way, I'm also glad you're back to being you again."

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

"Well, the last few weeks you were staying with Kim and me, you were kinda distant and weird," she said.

"Oh," was all he could say. The uneasiness returned in full force... .

"But, everything's cool now and that's all that matters. Hey, when we're done with dinner, do you wanna catch a movie?" she asked.

To his relief, the uneasiness faded. "Sure," he said.

* * *

"So how'd it go?" Kimberly asked in a light tone the next day- late Saturday afternoon. Lexie had come home from lunch with Jason and her parents almost ten minutes earlier and the two young women were sitting on the sofa.

"Surprisingly well. My mother's bearable side had come out to play today and she and my dad hit it off with Jason ," Lexie said, then, she grinned. "You all set for your date tonight?"

"Yeah," Kimberly said with a smile. She had met Ken Wilder three days earlier at the coffeehouse and he'd asked her to dinner. She'd been spending a lot of time focusing on her job and communicating with her Angel Grove friends in any way she could. "Ken seems like a nice guy and I'm sure I'll have a good time with him."

"This is _great_, Kimberly. Maybe you guys will end up becoming serious," Lexie said, then, laughed. "How cool would that be? You, Ken, Jase and I becoming this little foursome."

"So cool," Kimberly said in the most casual tone she could manage.

"I couldn't believe it when you told me you almost turned Ken down, though. I mean, you said he was cute, funny and basically seemed to be one of the good guys. Luckily, you said you'd go out with him," Lexie said, then, a soft smile appeared on her face. "Hey, Kim?"

"Yeah?" Kimberly asked.

"I'm... in love with Jason," her friend said.

Kimberly was absolutely positive that a sharp knife going through her chest would hurt a hell of a lot less. In fact, she was absolutely positive she wouldn't even feel it.

"I haven't told him yet, but, I will soon," Lexie said. Her eyes began shining with happiness. "He doesn't exactly make it hard to fall for him."

"I'm so happy for you, Lexie. Jason's fantastic," Kimberly found herself saying. However, it felt as though the words were being spoken by someone else. The smile that lit her face didn't feel like hers. The hug she gave Lexie didn't feel real. Kimberly stood. "I'll be right back. Gotta use the bathroom."

"All right," Lexie said.

Kimberly turned and forced herself not to run. When she reached the bathroom, she stepped in, closed and locked the door, then, leaned back against it. The bathroom wasn't far enough for her, but, she had to get away from the happiness in Lexie's eyes- especially since she knew who was responsible for it. The words wouldn't stop running around in her brain.

'_I'm in love with Jason... I'm in love with Jason... I'm in love with Jason... ._'

A wave of utter misery washed over her. She closed her eyes and her body began shaking violently with silent, heart-wrenching sobs.

* * *


	14. Chapter 14

_**I wanted to crank out an update for B.T.S. and I can only hope it's passable.**_

_**Readers/reviewers: As always, thanks so, so much for showing the amazing support you continue to show. I hope I won't let you all down.**_

* * *

It was now the first Saturday in January and on this particular night, Kimberly was wearing a fake grin as twenty-one-year-old Ken Wilder and two of his three outrageous friends told yet another wild, crazy, moronic tale from their high school days. They were all in Ken's cluttered apartment. Kimberly looked at Ken and wished- for the zillionth time- she'd never met him.

He'd seemed decent enough when she'd met him in the coffeehouse two months earlier. The first few weeks had been pretty great. Kimberly had began allowing herself to believe that she'd found someone that could possibly help her move past... things. But, Ken had turned out to be a huge disappointment. His true self had emerged and any hopes of _anything_ had quickly faded.

Ken wasn't exactly a good or bad guy. He was the living-on-the-edge, wild, crazy, unnecessary risk-taker type. So were his friends. They didn't seem to actually care about anything and came off as a bunch of bored teens at times. Also, Ken almost always talked about motorcycles and power drills whenever he and Kimberly were alone. However, the original pink ranger was grateful that Ken wasn't a homicidal lunatic. That was always a plus. He had his "nice guy" moments, but, overall... .

'_He totally poured on the charm in the beginning and I fell for it because I was so eager to try to forget... things_,' Kimberly thought. She should have broken things off with him a few weeks ago and she had no idea why she hadn't.

'_A case of wanting the one you have because you can't have the one you want, perhaps_?' said the all-too-familiar, little voice in her head.

Kimberly fought the strong urge to roll her eyes. The little voice hadn't bugged her in awhile. '_I'm not with Ken because- oh, no! Is something moving in Joe's hair?_' she thought as she stared in Ken's friend in disbelief. What the hell was she doing here? What the hell was she doing _period_? She had to end all of this before it went any further.

"So, what are we gonna do tonight, Wild One?" Manny "Axe" Watts asked Ken before throwing his head back and baying like a wolf.

Ken laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. "I dunno, Axe. Maybe we should let the ladies decide. Kim and Dismal, what do you two think we should all do?"

"Yeeeeeeah. Ladies choice! Think up something insane now," Manny said.

Ava "Dismal" Fowler stopped studying her fingernails and looked at Ken, then, Manny with a bored expression. "Who truly cares? We're all gonna rot sooner or later anyway," she said dully before refocusing on her nails.

"You're loads of fun, Ave," Joe "Snake" Moore said, then, grinned at Kimberly. "Hey, Kim, ever wonder why we call Kenny over there 'Wild One'?"

'_Gee, Joe, could it be because his last name's Wilder and he's wild_?' she thought sarcastically.

"It's 'cause his last name is Wilder and the dude's _wild_," Joe said, laughing. "Man! You should've seen him back in high school! He thinks of the craziest, most awesome crap! There was this one time he-"

"Shut it, Snake," Ken said with a grin. "I'm sure Kim's tired of hearing about how great we made our lame-ass high school. Right, Kim?"

'_Do I tell him that- thanks to them- the words "high school" makes me wanna run away screaming like a maniac_?' Kimberly silently wondered with a fake smile on her face.

"So, you got any ideas for us, Kimberly?" Manny asked, then, then, continued to speak before she could even open her mouth. "Ya know, Wild One, ya did a good thing by bringing Kim here into the picture. She provides sanity and all that."

"You guys could use a daily dose of that," Joe quipped, then, barked like a dog- causing Ken and Manny to laugh. Ava looked up, gave a half-smile, then, scowled.

"What's wrong, Ava?" Kimberly asked, even though she knew it was pointless.

"Wrong? Wrong? For starters, I was born way too late," Ava said in a monotone.

"Oh. That sucks," Kimberly said lightly. '_Wow_.'

"Life sucks," Ava said grimly. "And it'll keep right on sucking until I'm dead. Afterwards, life will become a lot better or at the very least, _kind_ of tolerable."

"Geez, Ava, why don't cha go make somebody else's day?" Ken said dryly, then, smiled at Kimberly. "So, got any ideas for a little fun?"

"Maybe _your_ life sucks, Ave," Manny said with a laugh before Kimberly could speak- again. "But my life couldn't be greater these days. Awoooooooooooo!" Then, he grabbed two empty beer cans and hurled them at the wall.

"You're not serious. How can you be? We're all in the cold. No one really feels anything, though. We can't feel the cold. We can't feel the truth. Actually, I can. I can accept it without hesitation. You'll all be much better off once you've accepted that we're all doomed," Ava said, nodding slowly.

Kimberly suddenly thought of Zack and could almost hear him saying: "_She's a big ol' bowl of sunshine, ain't she_?" It caused a small laugh to escape from her lips.

"You laugh?" Ava said, lifting her eyebrows. "See how amused you'll be when you're forced to deal with harsh, cruel reality. You foolish mortals will _all_ see that life isn't like a huge, cuddly teddy bear or a ten-foot candy cane. Just wait." Then, she moved to sit on the floor, closed her eyes and began softly humming something.

Joe clapped a few times, stood, made a point of clearing his throat loudly, put his hand on his heart and began singing "America, The Beautiful" and Manny began beating his chest and yelling like Tarzan.

"Ken?" Kimberly said in a slightly raised voice.

"Yeah?" he said.

"We need to talk," she said.

* * *

"That was fun," Trini told Rocky with a smile on Tuesday evening.

"For _you_, yeah," he teased. The couple were in Trini and Aisha's apartment. They had just played a game of Checkers and Trini had won. "For me, it was embarrassing." She laughed and he grinned. "But, hey, there's no one I'd rather lose to."

"If the shoe were on the other foot, I'd say the exact same thing," she said.

"That pretty much proves we're soul mates," he quipped.

"Without a doubt," Trini joked. "Having the same 'favorite day of the week' is the only other surefire way to prove it."

"Mine's Friday," he said, his eyes dancing.

"Get outta here. So is mine," she said, mock excitement. The two of them laughed and she looked at the clock on the wall. "Time for some dinner. I could fix you something right after I alert the media about beating you at Checkers."

"Ya know, the power won't work for you if you're mean," he said, mock sadness.

"It will if I'm Rita's evil yellow ranger," Trini said, thoroughly enjoying their little game.

"That would be _hot_," he said with a wink- causing her to laugh once again. Happiness filled him. But, then, just hearing Trini's name made him light up a Christmas tree. Thing's been more than great with them for the last several months.

"So, what do you want to eat?" she asked.

"Whatever you want to," he said.

"That'd be fine if I knew," she said with a light laugh.

"Hey, it's all right. I'd rather gawk at you than eat right now anyway," he said, smiling.

"My, my, my, Mr. DeSantos. I do believe that's the most romantic thing I've ever heard," she said with the same playful smile.

He stood, joined her on the sofa and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Trini." This was the first time love had come up and he felt it was the perfect time to tell her.

"I love you, too, Rocky," she said softly. The words had come so easily.

The couple shared a sweet kiss and he grinned at her after it'd ended. "Does this mean you won't be humiliating me by telling the world you kicked my butt at Checkers?"

"No. It means I'll _think_ about not doing it," she joked.

* * *

Jason knocked on Kimberly and Lexie's door several times the next evening. He felt horrible. A few weeks earlier, Lexie had told him she was in love with him and he'd responded by, well,_ not _responding. He'd just stared at her like an idiot. Lexie had covered her embarrassment by making a joke. Every time he apologized for his reaction, she insisted that it was okay. But, he wasn't stupid enough to believe it actually was.

'_She's really a great person and she didn't deserve that_,' he thought as he sighed heavily. He stood up straighter when the door was opened a few seconds later by Kimberly. "Hey, Kim." His voice was low.

She smiled faintly. "Hey, Jase. Come in." She stepped aside and he entered the apartment. After closing and locking the door, she looked at him. "Lexie isn't here. She's spending some time with her sister."

"I know. She told me she would be when we talked on the phone this afternoon," he said.

"So, you're... here to see me," she said, gripping the doorknob.

"Yeah. I wanted to see how you were doing," he said. He hated how weird things had been between the two of them since she'd... confessed. "You, uh, seeing Ken later?"

"Oh! I guess Lex forgot to tell you. I ended things with him a few days ago," she said.

"Oh, yeah? How'd that go?" Jason asked as relief coursed through him. He had nothing against Ken, but, he knew the guy hadn't been right for Kimberly. He couldn't help feeling glad that she had broken things off with him. Extremely glad.

"Actually, it went fine- better than fine. Ken was totally understanding about it. He_ did_ make me promise to have a conversation about leather with him at least once a month, though," she said- causing Jason to laugh. She grinned, enjoying the moment of normalcy. "Hey, you wanna go out and grab a bite?"

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"Then, let's go," he said with a smile.

* * *

A short while later, Jason and Kimberly were in a cafe- eating, talking and laughing. Everything was feeling the way it used to. Kimberly smiled at her friend, wishing the lightheartedness could last. But, she knew it couldn't. She had to bring up Lexie- and Jason's relationship with her. The gymnast cleared her throat and shifted in her chair a little.

"Jase?"

"Yeah?" he said.

"Lex told me what happened when she told you how she felt," she said. He closed his eyes and she sighed. "Of course, she treated it like it was no big deal, but-"

"We both know it was," he finished as he opened his eyes. "I really didn't mean to embarrass her like that."

"She knows that, Rex," Kimberly assured him. "Hey, if you wanna talk... you know I'll listen."

He shook his head. "I've been making excuses for why I did what I did, but, I know the truth. I'm not..." Guilt caused his voice to trail off.

"You're not in love with her," Kimberly said softly.

"I care a lot about Lexie and hate that I can't give her what she wants," he said seriously. "She deserves a guy that can."

"Whoa. Jase, wait. Don't do anything- look, maybe you just need a little more time," Kimberly said. Her feelings for Jason were stronger than ever, but, his happiness meant a lot to her. So did Lexie's. No matter how much it hurt, she would try and help in any way she could.

"No, Kim. Six months from now, things would be exactly the same," he said.

"You can't know that for sure," Kimberly said. "Hey, maybe you really _are_ in love with her and you're just confused or something. That's possible. I mean, you can't just-"

"Kim," he cut in. She looked at him and he stared down at his food for a few, long moments. Then, he looked at her.

"Jase, what is it?" she asked.

"How can I be in love with Lexie when all I can think about is you?" he asked quietly.

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

_**Well, here's an unfortunately short, but, hopefully decent update for BTS.**_

_**As always, I'm grateful to all readers/reviewers.**_

* * *

Kimberly sat perfectly still. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open. Not only couldn't she speak, move or blink- she didn't want to! She was actually a little scared she'd wake up in her bed if she made one sound. Had the guy she loved really just said he couldn't stop thinking about her? '_He can't stop thinking about me. He can't stop thinking about me_!' she thought as sheer happiness replaced her shock. She had to say something- even if it _did_ turn out to be a dream. "Wow, Jase. I just... you have no idea how happy I am to hear that."

"Ever since you told me how you felt, you've been taking over my thoughts a lot. Something opened up in me, Kim- well, re-opened," Jason said, wondering- and not for the first time- how he actually could have believed that he was over her. That those feelings were long gone. He should have known better. '_I guess, deep down, I did know. I mean, this is Kim_,' he thought. It was Kimberly Ann Hart. His powerful emotions were warring in him like crazy.

She looked around the cafe, then, grinned at him. "Let's get out of here."

"Good idea," he said.

A short while later, the two of them were sitting in his apartment. Neither had said a word since leaving the cafe. The words "when all I can think about is you" had been playing in Kimberly's head over and over. She felt like doing cartwheels. Felt like singing into a hairbrush. Felt like carving their initials in a tree. Just giddy!

He smiled at her, thinking of when he'd first started seeing her as more than a friend. Before he knew it, he was reaching out and tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. The simple gesture sent a bolt of excitement right through him. "How the hell can I not be in love with you?" he whispered.

They leaned in simultaneously, slowly. When their lips finally touched, they both felt as though they had been lifted high into the air. The rate of their hearts matched and they felt the exact same tingles. However, their joy began fading as the kiss heated up and they reluctantly ended it. Lexie had entered their brains. Guilt rushed into them.

"We shouldn't have done that," Kimberly said softly. It was stating the obvious, but, it was the first thing that had come to mind.

"No," he said, then, sighed deeply. "I have to talk to Lexie- about everything. It's best to end things with us as soon as possible."

Kimberly's heart twisted painfully. "I am not looking forward to seeing how this is gonna affect my friendship with her. She might move out. Not that I would blame her." This was one hell of a situation to be in. For all of them. Kimberly knew that Jason hated that their happiness had to come at the expense of Lexie just as much as she did.

"I'm definitely not looking forward to having this talk with her," he said. He couldn't stand the thought of hurting Lexie even more than he already had. It hadn't taken her long at all to become important to him. '_She'll probably hate me_.'

"If you want, we could talk to her together," Kimberly offered.

"Thanks, Pinky, but, I'm gonna handle it on my own," he said.

"I understand," she said, squeezing his hand. She was happy and she felt terrible about that. Yeah. This was one hell of a situation. '_I am so, so sorry, Lex_.' Then, she realized she was still holding Jason's hand, swallowed hard and released it.

"As horrible as I feel about Lexie... I'm glad everything's out in the open," he said honestly.

"So am I," she said with a small smile.

* * *

"Hey, Lexie. Come on in," Jason said the next day- Thursday evening- after opening the door to his apartment. He'd called her and asked her to come over so they can talk. His guilt had gone into overdrive. But there was absolutely no way they could go on being together. She needed to know the truth. She deserved to know. She deserved to be free to find someone who could return her feelings.

She smiled before walking in. "You sounded pretty serious on the phone. Is everything all right?"

He closed and locked the door, then, looked at her. "No, Lex, it's not. Let's sit down." She bit her lower lip, then, nodded. After they were seated, he cleared his throat. Now, that she was actually sitting here with him, it made everything seem even more real somehow. "Lexie, we need to talk about us."

"About us," she said tightly.

His stomach clenched. "I don't... feel the way you do and I think it's best for us to-"

"You wanna break up," she said in a low voice.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"Truth is, I was expecting this when you told me you wanted to talk. Of course, expecting it doesn't make hearing it any easier," she said with a nervous, little laugh.

"And it wasn't easy to say. I'm... I'm sorry, Lexie. You're an amazing person and you shouldn't be with a guy who can't give you what you need," he said. "I care-"

"Jason, please don't say you care about me. I know you do and I appreciate it, but, I can't listen to it right now. It's almost worse than the 'it's not you, it's me' speech," she said, then, looked away.

"I understand," he said, nodding. "But, there's more, Lexie." This part was even harder. She looked at him and her expression caused his stomach to clench even tighter. It had to be said. No more lying to himself and her. "It would be wrong to be in a relationship with you or anyone because... I'm in love with Kimberly."

A sad smile appeared on her face and she nodded. "I know," she whispered.

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

_**And here I am with the next installment of Beneath The Surface. Been a while, hasn't it? Please don't kill me. LOL**_

_**Readers/Reviewers: You all have my deepest gratitude, as always.**_

* * *

Jason stared at Lexie in genuine confusion. "You _know_ I'm in love with Kim?"

"Well, I've had time to let myself think- _really_ think. You and Kimberly have been weird around each other lately and she's been very weird around me at home. And the fact that you didn't respond when I told you how I felt... I just pieced it all together, basically," she said.

Jason sighed as yet another wave of absolute guilt crashed over him. He knew this would all be a lot easier if Lexie were some kind of witch, but, she wasn't and he had to deal with it. "I said this twice already, but, here it is again... I'm sorry. I'm really sorry things didn't work out the way you expected."

"I know you are," she said. "I can't pretend I'm all awkward-free and a-okay with all of this, but, I'm gonna have to cope."

"We're not gonna rub anything in your face. We'd never do that," he said.

"I know, Jason. You guys aren't jerks," she said. "It's just gonna be hard, ya know? Feeling the way I do while knowing how you feel... ."

He nodded. He'd be an idiot to think this would all be a piece of cake. There were real feelings involved- hurt feelings. There was no way they'd all just magically move on with their lives as though nothing had happened. There was going to be uneasiness and guilt surrounding them for a while. '_I don't even know what else to say. I'm pretty sure she doesn't wanna keep hearing how sorry I am- who would_?' he thought.

"Even though it won't be easy, there's no reason we can't all try to be mature about this. Being together will make you and Kim happy, so, I don't want you guys to try and spare my feelings all the time. It'll only make things worse, to tell the truth," Lexie said.

"Lex... you don't have to be all calm and accepting about this. You don't have to make anything easier for me. If what you really wanna do right now is yell or even hit me, you should go for it," he said seriously.

She shook her head slowly. "I plan to scream long, good and hard into my pillow later and maybe even eat all the chocolate ice cream I can stand, but, I'm not all that angry, Jase. Anger's actually the least of what I'm feeling." He gave her a doubtful look and she chuckled a little. "I mean it. I'm not trying to make anything easier for anybody and I don't accept anything yet. I'm just trying to be honest here."

"I'm glad to hear that," he said.

"Yeah. I truly do mean it. You and Kimberly don't have to take things slowly for my sake. You don't have to jump apart if I see you kissing or something. _Pretending_ will be what would piss me off," Lexie said as tears filled her eyes.

"I just feel so bad, Lex. I hate that you feel the way you do right now," he said truthfully.

She laughed- a dry, short laugh. "Oh, trust me... so do I." She cleared her throat, blinked her tears away and stood. "I'm gonna head home now. Catch ya later."

"Lexie, I-" he began.

"Jason, I don't need to be here right now. I can't be," she said tightly. He nodded in understanding, then, she headed to the door, unlocked and opened it and exited the apartment.

* * *

About a half-hour later, Kimberly was sitting on her bed- flipping through a fashion magazine. '_I need to go shopping. It feels like I haven't been in a mall in decades_!' she thought, shaking her head. '_I also need to call Trini, Zack, Billy and the others soon_.' She missed her friends so much. Maybe a visit would be the way to go. Yeah. She could spend a weekend in Angel Grove.

"We broke up."

Kimberly's relaxed mood vanished quickly. Guilt and uneasiness gripped her as she put the magazine aside and looked up at Lexie- whom was standing in her doorway. Seeing the expression on her friend's face caused the guilt and uneasiness to grip her tighter. Her mouth went dry.

Lexie made her way into the room. "I know about you guys and I'm gonna tell you what I told him. You don't have to pretend for my sake. You wanna be together, so... be together."

"Lexie, I'm so sorry. You're one of my closest friends and I never, ever meant to hurt you. I'm sure that that doesn't mean much right now, but, you have to know it," Kimberly said, her voice full of sincerity.

"I do know, Kim," Lexie said quietly.

"You're terrific and you deserve to be happy," Kimberly said, getting off of her bed.

"That's pretty much what Jason said," Lexie said with a half-smile.

"Lex... I'll totally understand if you wanna move out or if you want me to go," Kimberly said, hugging herself.

"No, no. No way, Kim. Sure, it'll take some time to adjust and all that, but, you're a great roommate. Our living arrangements don't need to change," Lexie said.

"Are you sure?" Kimberly asked, lifting her eyebrows.

"Positive. Nobody needs to leave," Lexie said.

"Great. Because I like having you as a roommate, too. But, if you wanna chew me out right now, you can. You have every right to go off," Kimberly said seriously.

Lexie's eyes widened, then, she shook her head. "Wow. You guys must really be made for each other."

"Huh?" Kimberly said with a confused frown.

"Well, you said the same thing as Jason- again," Lexie said, then, sighed. "I, I think I wanna be by myself for awhile, so, I'll be in my room." She turned and almost hurried out.

Kimberly stared after her friend, then, flopped down on her bed. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her body. Tears filled her eyes. Tommy, Derek, Lexie... . '_I always seem to hurt the people I care about. I should come with a warning_,' she thought glumly. Of course, she didn't go around intentionally causing pain, but, at the moment, that didn't matter to her. She gasped when an awful thought popped into her head. What if it were a mistake to get involved with Jason? She didn't want _him_ somehow ending up hurt because of her. Hurting the others had been unbelievably terrible, but, hurting Jason would be unacceptable because he was Jason.

'_Wait a second_,' she thought, cocking her head slightly. A calmness washed over her and her doubts and fears disappeared almost as quickly as they had come. She didn't have to worry about Jason. He was it for her and everything in her knew that that was the absolute truth.

* * *

"Jason? I'm gonna tell you this because you're my favorite person in the world. These muffins are gross," Kimberly said, making a face.

"What the heck would you say if I was an enemy, Hart?" he quipped with a smirk.

"If I told you, you'd cry," she said, smirking as well.

It was now four months later- the second Saturday in May- and on this particular afternoon, Kimberly and Jason were in Kimberly and Lexie's kitchen. Lexie, however, was out somewhere. Kimberly had suggested that she and Jason have a little baking competition and he had agreed- simply because they had been bored out of their minds. Jason had lost the contest as far as Kimberly was concerned. Flunked with flying colors.

"Hey, my muffins are great. You're just jealous," he said, mock arrogance.

"On what planet, Scott?" she said with a laugh. "I won and you know it. My muffins kick butt. I saw that look on your face when you ate one. Just try to deny it."

"I deny it," he said, a playful glint in his eye.

"Oh, yeah?" she said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah," he said, nodding.

"We-ell, in _that_ case..." she said, then, scooped up a handful of flour and tossed it at him. She quickly began laughing at the sight of his face covered in the white, powdery substance. She was in a very playful mood. "You look like a ghost. Hey, you could be a Ghost Ranger!"

He took a step forward. "That'd be cool. You know what would be even cooler?"

"What?" she asked, still shaking with laughter.

"Giving the Ghost Ranger the perfect girlfriend," he said, then, scooped up some flour and tossed it at her. He grinned. "Man, we make a great-looking couple."

"You do, of course, realize that this means war, right?" she said, her eyes dancing.

"Let's do this," he said.

Pretty soon, the couple was running around the kitchen like kids, laughing and having a good ol' flour fight. When it ended, they stood in the center of the kitchen- covered in flour. Needless to say, the room was a mess. Looked as though a blizzard had taken place. Kimberly and Jason looked around, then, at each other and burst out laughing.

"Talk about a different version of a food fight," he said.

"No kidding," she said with a giggle. "We look ridiculous."

"I know _I_ do. You're gorgeous no matter what," he said as he pulled her to him.

"Aww. Aren't you a sweet Ghost Ranger?" she said, curling her arms around his neck. "No guy would look cuter in flour."

"Don't make me blush, Pinky," he quipped.

"I'm pretty sure I'm not looking all that gorgeous right now, though," she said. "And you know what I'm _completely_ sure about?"

"What's that?" he said, staring down into her eyes.

"I'm completely sure that I will always, always love you," she said.

"And I will always, always love you," he said before leaning down for a sweet kiss.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Here is the next installment of Beneath The Surface.  
**_

_**Unfortunately, this fic will be ending soon. There's only one chapter left...  
**_

_**As always, thanks so much for the feedback.**_

_**

* * *

**_

A couple hours later, Lexie was sitting in a coffeehouse, drinking some cappuccino- there was also a plate of cookies in front of her. She was actually in a pretty mellow mood. After a little shopping spree, she had come here. The awkwardness and tension between Kimberly, Jason and herself had eased a lot. Well, it _had_ been four months, after all. Plenty of time for things to change. She still felt a twinge of sadness, but, she had started to become genuinely happy for the two of them.

'_Things are only gonna get even better from here- they have to. Jason wasn't the one and a part of me is probably gonna hate that for awhile, but, I accept it_,' she thought. No matter what happened, she didn't want to lose Kimberly or Jason. They were both an important part of her life.

"Lexie. Hi," a male voice said.

She looked up to see Derek Masters and blinked. Huh. She hadn't seen Kimberly's ex-boyfriend in months. Felt kind of like decades! Lexie grinned. "Hi, Derek. Long time, no see or hear."

"I know. How've ya been?" he asked.

"Pretty good. How 'bout you?" she asked, gesturing for him to join her.

He sat down across from her. "I've been great. How's Kim?"

"She's great, too. Jason moved here last year... he and Kim are together and have been for the last four months," Lexie said. She had no idea if Derek was still into Kimberly. If he was, he deserved a fair warning.

Derek's jaw dropped. The last time he'd checked, Jason and _Lexie_ were getting close. Wow. He cleared his throat. "Now, _there's_ a bombshell," he said with a chuckle.

"I know. Derek, I didn't tell you this to hurt you- you know that's not my style. I just felt you should know if you still have hope for you and Kim," Lexie said. "I'm really sorry if it does hurt." She honestly meant that. Derek was a good guy.

He looked at her for a few seconds, then, laughed. "Lexie, trust me, I'm fine." A waitress came over, then. After placing his order, he resumed speaking to Lexie. "I've been fine with the fact that Kim and I are over for a long time. How do _you _feel?"

"It was kind of a nightmare at first. I mean, I preferred walking over rusty nails to it. But, it's all good now. Things have been getting back to normal with all of us," she said. It felt good being back to her old self.

He nodded. "You know, now that I think about it, it's not all _that_ shocking. I've always known how special Jason is to Kim. There was this look in her eyes whenever she talked about or to him."

"Yeah. I thought about that a lot, too. That's why I wasn't all that blown away, either. We both know that Kim thinks the world of all her friends, but, it was always different with Jason somehow," Lexie said. The waitress returned with Derek's order, then, hurried off. Lexie sat back in her seat. "Kim and Jason are lucky. They were _born_ for each other. I know it's probably too soon for me, of all people, to be saying that, but, I know it's true. Anyway, they're lucky because they already have something a lotta people spend half their lives looking for."

"And some of those people never find it. After Kim told me she didn't want to get back together, my world was shaken up. But, I picked myself up and went out with other girls. I made the mistake of trying to find what I had with Kim with every girl I dated. Pathetic, but, true," Derek said.

"I think it's sweet. Especially since a lot of guys our age are all about fun and games. You want someone to love and I'm sure you'll find her. You're a helluva catch, Masters," she said with a playful wink.

"So are you, Ellis," he said, winking back. "Seriously, any guy would be lucky to have you."

"Now, if that'd come from someone else, I'd have probably rolled my eyes and joked about how overused that line is. But, it's nice hearing it from you," she said with a grateful smile.

The two of them spent the next couple hours talking about their families, music and Coach Schmidt. Finally, Derek sighed heavily and looked at his watch. "Man. I'm sorry, Lex, but, I have to get going."

"That's cool. I should probably head out, too," she said.

"I really enjoyed this, though," he said sincerely.

"So did I," she said. It had felt good talking to him again.

"Well, there's no law that says it can't continue outside of the coffeehouse. Are you free for lunch tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said with a smile.

"Great," he said, smiling as well.

* * *

**(California)**

It was now two months later- the final Saturday in July- and on this particular night, Rocky and Trini were having dinner at a restaurant. Today was their one-year anniversary. One whole year. Rocky DeSantos and Trini Kwan. It had been some year. Trini looked around the restaurant with approving eyes, then, smiled when she looked at her boyfriend.

"I love this place, Rocky. It's beautiful," she said, reaching across the table to take his hand.

"Eh, it's all right. You're what's beautiful. It's been a year, but, a little part of me can still hardly believe we're together," he said.

"We make more sense together than we even realize. Rocky, you're everything I never knew I wanted and this past year has been incredible. Loving you and being loved by you is the most amazing experience I've ever had," she said seriously. Rocky'd brought out other sides of her. She'd done the same for him. They had been mixing together quite well.

"It's the same for me, Tri. I've never been so happy in my life. You're the most amazing person in the world to me," he said, looking into her eyes. Man. He could just stare at her all. freaking. _day_. "I'm sorry that we're not doing something really awesome for our anniversary. You deserve more than just a nice restaurant."

"Mr. DeSantos, we could be wearing sweatsuits and having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the floor in one of our apartments with one candle sitting between us and I'd be grinning like crazy. I don't care what we're doing, how we're doing it or where we are. If I'm with you, I'm happy," she said, squeezing his hand lovingly.

"Right back at cha, Miss Kwan. After we're done here, how about we head to the beach? We could walk, make out, look at the stars, make out, dance, make out, talk and, oh, maybe even make out," he said.

She laughed. "You're too much and I like that. The beach would be good."

Sometime later, the happy couple was on a blanket on the beach and soft music was playing on Rocky's radio. They were snuggled up together and in a comfort zone. Trini closed her dark eyes and focused on his strong heartbeat. She always liked listening to his heartbeat. His heart... the place where his love for her lived. That was kind of corny, but, she didn't care. She was crazy in love, so, she was allowed a little corniness every now and then.

"Tri?" he said.

"Hmm?" she asked.

"Move in with me," he said.

Whew! Trini's eyes flew open, she disentangled herself from him and sat up. "Move in with you?"

He turned and propped himself up on one elbow. "We're at each others' place a lot anyway and we always hate leaving in the morning. Zack and Aisha are already practically living together at your place. But, if you're not ready, I totally understand. I just love the idea of your face being the last thing I see every night before I go to sleep and the first thing I see when I wake up every morning."

"I love the idea, too, Rocky- more than you know. This is just surprising. I wasn't expecting to hear this tonight," she said.

"I know. But, I figured tonight was the best time to bring it up," he said.

She nodded. Living with Rocky. Were they ready for that? She looked into his eyes and the answer quickly became clear. "I would love to live with you, sweetie." Saying it felt beyond right.

"But..." he said, lifting his eyebrows.

"No buts. I'm agreeing. I wanna live with you," she said, smiling. Like Rocky had once said to her: life moved. Some things were just meant to happen faster than they should. But, who said this was happening faster than it should? Warmth filled her slowly but surely. This was definitely the right choice. If it weren't, she wouldn't have made it.

He sat up, grinning. "This anniversary just got even better. I love you so much."

"I love you, too," she said before sharing a long, passionate kiss with him.

* * *

"Ooh! _Lifetime_. I've never seen this movie before," Kimberly said six days later- Friday night. After having dinner at a Japanese restaurant, she and Jason had come back to his place to simply kick back. The two of them were on his sofa. Kimberly was sitting with her legs tucked underneath her, smiling at the television screen, while Jason looked at her in amusement and disbelief. He took the remote from her and she gasped. "Hey! Why'd you do that, Scott?"

"Because_ Lifetime_ is a no-no in this apartment and you know it," he said as he channel-surfed.

"What did _Lifetime_ ever do to you? All it does is provide awesome entertainment," she said with a mock dramatic sigh.

He laughed. "I needed that. Thanks. Kim, you know that a lot of those movies are ridiculous. You just like to torture me, woman."

She smirked. "A girl's gotta have hobbies."

"Is that right?" he said in a husky tone, putting the remote aside.

"So right," she said, then, squealed when he began tickling her. Laughter poured out of her uncontrollably as he showed no mercy. She squirmed and shrieked. "Cut it out, Jase! You never play fair!"

"Where's the fun in that?" he said before ending the tickle torture.

Kimberly wiped away the tears her laughter had caused and punched him in the shoulder.

"You're so abusive, Pinky," he said, mock sadness.

She scooted closer and curled her arms around his neck. "No, love. I'm just a no-nonsense pterodactyl. Ya gotta love that."

"I do. Pterodactyls are one of my hugest turn-ons. Does that make me weird?" he said, grinning.

"Totally. But, your secret's safe with me," she said- causing him to laugh. She smiled fondly. "Just like your heart's safe with me until I leave this planet."

He turned around fully to face her. "You know your heart's got nothing worry about with me around."

"For sure," she said, then, cocked her head. "You're everything to me and I've never loved anybody the way I love you."

"I've never loved anybody the way I love you, either," he said. They looked deeply into each others' eyes.

"And that's the way it was meant to be," they said in unison.

* * *


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's note**:

_**Here I am with the very last chapter of Beneath The Surface. I really enjoyed writing this fic.  
**_

**To my amazing supporters**_**: I treasure ya. The feedback you all have given this story was incredible and encouraging. Y'all are the reasons I push myself to write whenever I seriously do not think I can. From the bottom of my heart, I thank all of you.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**(Five Years Later****)**

"You look beautiful," Trini told her best friend with a smile.

"Thanks, Tri," Kimberly replied, smiling as well. Excitement and nervousness was dancing around in her. "I can't believe this day is finally here."

It was the second Saturday in July and the sun was shining brightly. Gorgeous day here in California. It was also Kimberly and Jason's wedding day. Yeah. They would become Mr. and Mrs. Scott in less than an hour. The two of them had moved back to Angel Grove two years earlier. Anyhow, Kimberly was currently standing in the bride's room in the church in front of the full-length mirror with the original yellow ranger, whom was the maid-of-honor, behind her.

Trini's smile widened. "I'm so happy for you two."

"So am I, Mrs. Soon-to-be DeSantos," Kimberly said. Trini and Rocky'd gotten engaged three months earlier. "It's gonna be so much fun planning your wedding! Oh, and Billy and Jenna's!" Jenna Pearson had gotten involved with Billy four years ago and they'd gotten engaged a month ago.

Trini shook her head and laughed. "Leave it to you to be thinking about planning weddings on your own wedding day."

"Ooh, wedding planning," Aisha said as she walked into the room.

"You both are really something," Trini told them.

"We know," Aisha and Kimberly joked in unison- causing Trini to laugh once again.

Aisha grinned at Kimberly. "Girl, you look gorgeous."

"Thanks, Sha," Kimberly said. Aisha- whom had married Zack six months ago- was Kimberly's matron-of-honor. Tanya, Katherine, Jenna and Lexie were the bridesmaids. "I feel like I'm _flying_," Kimberly said.

"I know the feeling well," Aisha said.

Just then, the door opened and Tanya entered- followed by Katherine, Jenna and Lexie. The four women headed up to the other three with bright smiles on their faces.

"I'm sure you've heard this already, Kim, but, you look beautiful," Katherine said.

"Thanks, Kat. You guys look gorgeous," Kimberly said, then, focused on Lexie. "I'm so glad you and Derek could come." Lexie and Derek had been a couple for four and a half years. It'd been a little weird at first, but, Kimberly was very happy for them. She was also happy that her friendships with them had strengthened.

Lexie grinned and hugged her former roommate. "Like anything could've stopped us. Kim, I wish you and Jason nothing but the best. I hope you guys have a terrific life together."

"I'm counting on it," Kimberly said, then, laughed silently. Pretty soon, the first eleven rangers would all be married off. Tanya, Adam, Katherine and Tommy had had a double wedding thirteen months ago. '_We really are all grown up. Time flies like crazy_.'

The door opened once more and Kimberly's mother, Caroline, entered. She stood still for a moment to smile lovingly at her daughter. '_My little girl is just glowing_,' she thought as tears filled her eyes.

Kimberly beamed. "Mom, I'm getting married!" Her emotions could not be verbally described. Seriously.

Caroline laughed as she made her way up to Kimberly. "I know, honey. I couldn't be happier for you if I tried. Oh, just look at you. Sweetie, you look absolutely amazing. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Mom," the younger woman said before sharing a hug with the woman that'd given her life.

There was a knock on the door, then, it opened and Jason's mother stepped in. She grinned and headed straight for the bride-to-be. "You look wonderful, Kimberly. I'm so excited that you'll soon be my daughter-in-law. Jason is very lucky."

"So am I, Mrs. Scott. Your son's incredible," Kimberly said, an intense warmth filling her heart. She grinned at her loved ones, then, turned to look in the mirror once again. Her eyes were dancing. '_I love you, Jason_,' she told him silently.

* * *

Jason took a deep breath as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He and his male friends were all in the groom's room. He was feeling a lot at once. '_Man. I'm getting married today_,' he thought. Tommy and Zack appeared on either side of him- smiles on their faces.

"So, you're about to be Mr. Hart, huh?" Zack joked, clapping his best friend on the shoulder. Jason smirked and Tommy laughed. Zack's grin widened. "You'll be going shopping for drapes and sofas. Exciting, ain't it?"

"Don't forget the arguments he'll never win," Tommy quipped- causing Zack to laugh.

"Little advice for you guys: don't quit your day jobs," Jason said. This time, _they_ smirked and _he_ laughed. He was grateful to have the kind of friends he had. Shortly after he'd proposed to Kimberly, he'd been concerned and uneasy about the "best man" situation. However, he didn't remain that way for long because before he could even talk to Tommy and Zack about it, Tommy had come to him and said he felt Zack should be best man- considering the fact that he had a longer history with Jason.

Rocky, Adam and Billy approached, then. Rocky grinned. "Ready for this, man?"

"Definitely. I got those jitters I've always heard about because it's marriage, but, I'm ready to make everything official today," Jason said, nodding.

"I'm very happy for you and Kim," Billy said with a smile.

"So am I," Adam said.

"Thanks, guys," Jason said.

Just then, the door opened and Mrs. Scott poked her head in. "You look so handsome, sweetie."

"Thanks, Mom. You look great, too," her son said.

She walked into the room- followed by Mr. Scott. She embraced Jason tightly. "I'm happy and sad at the same time. My baby's going to be a husband and, someday, a father. Of course, I knew it'd happen eventually, but, it's still a little hard."

Mr. Scott chuckled. "Sweetheart, you're talking as though we're losing him.

"I know we're not. I'm just emotional because he's my little Jasey," she said.

"Awwww," Jason's amused friends said in unison. They laughed when the groom-to-be gave them a Look.

Mr. Scott hugged his son and clapped him on the back. "I know that you and Kimberly will have a good life, Jason. I wanna thank you for giving your mother and me a wonderful daughter-in-law and I want you to know how proud we are of you."

"I do know, Dad," Jason said, smiling.

"We love you, honey," Mrs. Scott said, her eyes shining with tears.

"I love you guys, too," Jason said, then, took another deep breath. '_And I love you, Kim_,' he thought.

* * *

Minutes later, Kimberly was in the bride's room alone. A million thoughts were racing through her head and every single one of them were about Jason and how far they had come. '_We're about to promise to spend the rest of our lives loving and honoring each other and they're gonna be the easiest promises in the world to keep_,' she thought. Knocking sounded on the door. "Come in." The door opened and Tommy stepped in. She grinned. "Hi."

"Hey. You look fantastic, Kim," he said as he approached her.

"Thanks," she said, then, frowned in concern. "Is something wrong with Jason?"

"No, no, he's fine," he assured her. "I just wanted to tell you how happy I am that you're happy. I also want to thank you."

"For what?" she asked.

"For being in my life. You're the first girl I ever loved and you're one of the best friends I've ever had, Kimberly. I'll always be glad that we weren't one of those couples that swore to still be friends, but, never talked to each other again," he said seriously.

She smiled softly- enjoying how normal and comfortable things were between them. "So will I. I owe you a thanks, too, you know. You've helped me in a lot of ways and I honestly can't and don't want to imagine my life without you. I love you, Tommy. I do. And I'm also happy that _you're_ happy. I know that we're both with the people we belong with."

His face lit up and heart rate picked up at the very thought of Katherine. "I love you, too, Kim and you're absolutely right." He kissed her cheek lightly and hugged her.

* * *

"Jason and Kimberly have chosen to recite vows they've written," the minister said a short while later. "Kimberly, why don't you start?"

Kimberly sighed deeply as tears streamed down her face. She took Jason's hands in her own. She was now barely aware of everyone else in the church. Her heart was overflowing with love and joy. She began speaking. "Jason, we've been together our whole lives and now we're about to pledge to _be_ together our whole lives. You have always been everything to me and that will never change. I'm proud to say I'm yours and I'm even prouder to say you're mine. I _promise_ that I will never make you regret marrying me. I promise to always try and give you more happiness than you can stand. I will love you with all I have in me and respect you until I take my last breath. I will always lean on you when I'm weak and be an extra backbone when you need it. You're the greatest present I've ever gotten and will ever get. I'm so thankful that you're my twin soul."

"And now Jason," the minister said.

Jason's eyes were glittering with tears. He'd never been the most emotional guy around, but, he had every right and reason to be today. He squeezed her hands gently. "Kimberly, what can I say? You've always been like an amazing dream I never wanted to wake up from and that's what you'll always be. Until it's time for me to leave this planet, you'll be everything to me. My whole world. I can't picture a time I wasn't in love with you. I want to give you the happiness you deserve or die trying. I promise to love, honor and respect you for the rest of our lives. I promise to always be your strongest and biggest supporter and to turn to you whenever necessary. You're the other half of me and I'm more than happy to say that that will never change."

"We will now have the rings," the minister said.

"Kimberly, I give you this ring as a symbol of my eternal love and vow to be with you for as long as I live," Jason said as he placed the ring on her finger.

"Jason, I give you this ring as a symbol of my eternal love and vow to be with you for as long as I live," Kimberly said tearfully, sliding the gold band on his finger.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. What God has brought together, let no man put asunder. Jason, you may now kiss your bride," the minister said with a kind smile.

The newly married couple shared a loving kiss and the church erupted in cheers and applause.

"It's my great honor to introduce to you for the very first time: Mr. and Mrs. Jason Scott," the minister said- causing the volume of the cheers and applause to increase.

* * *

"Whew! That was fun, Zack," Kimberly said with a grin. Jason's and her reception was currently in progress and she'd just danced with Zack.

"What else could the Zackman offer?" he said teasingly. She gave him a playful punch on the arm and he laughed. "But, seriously, Kim, it's great to see you and Jase official. Congratulations- again."

"Thanks, sweetie," she said before hugging him.

Jason approached them. "Kim, are you trying to make me jealous already?" he said, feigning hurt.

"A girl's gotta have her hobbies, remember?" she said with a wink. The two men laughed and a new, slow song began.

"Why don't you two crazy kids dance? I'm gonna go find my wife," Zack said, then, turned and started making his way through the crowd.

Jason and Kimberly began dancing and smiled simultaneously.

"You're one beautiful lady, Mrs. Scott," he said.

"Why, thank you, Mr. Scott," she said, feeling giddy. "You know something? Like most girls, I had a dream wedding. But, today was better than anything my mind could have _ever_ come up with."

"I hear ya. But, we could've gotten married at the circus and I'd have still thought it was the greatest thing ever," he said.

"Same here. Do you know that I would marry you every single day if I could?" she said, looking up into his dark eyes. She was seeing everything she would ever need for the rest of her life.

"Right back at cha, Pinky. I love you," he said. He wanted to hold her like this forever.

"I love you, too, Rex. Do you know what I want when we come back from our honeymoon?" she asked.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I want you to go shoe shopping with me," she said innocently. His eyes widened and he gasped in mock horror, then, they laughed and shared a deep kiss.

* * *


End file.
